A Twist In My Story
by LostInLoveex3
Summary: He tried and tried and tried, and no matter what he did, he always failed. Could he really put his heart on the line once more for her? Or should he move on? In order to find out, life had to be twisted for the both of them. xNiley.
1. Trailer

Since when had life become a game?

Since when had the lines been drawn?

Since when was he enemies with the girl he thought he loved?

Nick Gray's life was no walk in the park and he was quickly beginning to realize that. Something went wrong, and it had him watching every step he took and holding back almost every word he had to say. And as he tried to figure it out, he had to wonder... Was it really the day he broke it off with Miley that messed him up.... Or the day he met her? What if it hadn't been Miley? What if it had been Selena? Would life have turned out differently?

Before he can learn how to get Miley back once more, he needs to know... Is she really the one?

Life had to be twisted for Nick Gray before he could realize the truth.

Nick Gray;  
_"I thought I had it figured out... Now, I'm not so sure..."_

Miley Stewart;  
_"My life was on the right track... And then he showed up... And I fell in love."_

Selena Russo;  
_"Nick is the one for me... I know it."_

Demi Munroe;  
_"I feel like I'm losing my best friend..."_

Joe Gray;  
_"I think I'm in love her, dude. She's amazing..."_

Kevin Gray;  
_"It's official... The Gray Brothers are over."_

Taylor Anderson (Taylor Swift);  
_"And the second I looked into his eyes, I knew I would love him. Forever & Always..."_

Watch as these teenagers' lives get shaken up into "what could've been..." or possibly "what should've been.."

**Had life been wrong all along?**

Find out in...

_A Twist In My Story._

* * *

**READ! READ! READ!**

**So I'm having horrible writer's block with Comatose. And as I was thinking to what I should write next, this idea came up. I really like it and I'm hoping you guys will too. It's based on current events - Nelena news, Selena/Demi/Miley friendship, and a few things of my own. Don't worry guys, it is a Niley story. With Nelena and Jemi and Jaylor... and blah blah blah :) I didn't give alot away in the trailer and I'm not going to now. **

**So review? Please? Cause I don't want to do it if no one likes it... **

**Peace! :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Hmm... So some of the stuff may not be accurate. If not, sorry. I'll try to be as accurate as possible, but not all the time for the sake of the story.**

* * *

Nick walked slowly into his dressing after another crazy concert. Fans these days... Gotta love them. He was glad they were taking well to his solo career. They were so supportive. Though, many were lashing out at him on how he was breaking up the Gray Brothers. Oh well, that was their problem, not his. The Gray Brothers would never split up. He knew that.

As he sat on the couch, letting his muscles relax, he noticed another figure standing there. "How'd you like the concert, Sel?"

She smiled, taking a seat right by him. "It was amazing, Nick. As usual. Your performance literally had me into tears."

Nick smiled. "Yeah, I saw that. What was that about?"

Selena shook her head. "'Stay' is just a beautiful song, that's all. She's a lucky girl, you know..."

And that was all it took to get Nick down. He shook his head and stood up, pacing the floor. He slapped his hand against his thigh and let out a frustrated sigh. "Everything. I try everything... And she still doesn't notice. Last week when I sang those songs... Taylor noticed, awesome, but what about her? Why can't she ever notice? I try, Selena, and I try, and try, and try, but all she ever cares about these days is him. When will it ever be me?"

Little did Nick know, that's exactly what Selena was thinking. When would it ever be her? Why couldn't Nick see that she was the one there for him? Why couldn't he see that she was the one who had supported him through everything? Yes, they had gone through a rough patch when they'd broken up, but so what? The point was she was there now...and he still couldn't see her.

Nick stopped in front of a dresser and took three breaths before slamming his fist down on it. "Look at me, Sel. Look at what she does to me. Love... It shouldn't be like this. It's not supposed to be like this. Even when we were younger, she always made me so frustrated. Why? I don't understand."

Selena shrugged. "I don't know, Nick..."

Nick sighed and sat down again. "So how are things with you and Demi?"

Selena bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears. "I wish I knew. She's become so distant from me lately. Her main priority has become Miley. I don't hate Miley... but she has everything she could ever ask for. Did she really need my best friend?"

"Do you still talk to Taylor?"

"Yeah... but she isn't Demi..." Selena cried.

"Oh, Lena, I'm so sorry..." Nick said, pulling Selena in for a hug. Selena cried into his chest. She didn't want everything, she just wanted her best friend. Was that so bad to ask?

Nick let Selena cry for a few minutes before asking, "What are you thinking, Sel?"

Selena hesitated. This was her chance, but did she want to ruin what she was working hard to get? She went for it. "I was just thinking of when we were together and Demi was still my best friend. Remember that prank you and I pulled on Joe during your 'Burning Up' tour? We mixed mayonnaise in with his shampoo. It took him a week to figure out what that "funny smell" was. He was so mad..." Her and Nick chuckled. "We click well, you know. We hardly ever fight. And I have to wonder Nick... On June 11th, what if that had been me... and not Miley?"

Nick had to soak that in. Maybe she was right... What if it wasn't December 19th that had turned his life into what it was now? What if it was the day he met Miley? But if that were so... Then were they meant to be? Or were his attempts to get her back all in vain? Could that answer be so obvious that it was right in front of him, right in his arms? How much of his life would it have changed if it had been Selena and not Miley? "Funny... I'm starting to wonder that too..."

* * *

Miley snarled at the screen in front of her.

_NELENA BACK TOGETHER?_

That caption was right over a split picture of Selena crying and Nick performing on stage. That no good son of a... Wait, why was she mad? It's not like she had any feelings for Nick anymore. She was with Liam. Why would she care?

But staring at these pictures had her burning. It made her angry. She just wanted to hit something.

"Miley, what are you doing?" She heard a voice behind her.

"Nothing, Demi," Miley snapped. "That bitch..."

"Me? What did I do?"

Miley slammed her laptop down and twisted to look at Demi. Demi was sprawled on Miley's bed, her head hanging off the edge while her feet rested against the wall. She quickly fixed herself upright when she saw Miley's fierce expression. "Not you, Dems."

"Then who, Mi?" Demi asked worried. She hadn't seen Miley this upset in a long time.

Miley stood up from her desk and sat beside Demi. She pressed her knees against her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. "No one. Forget it." She really didn't want to upset Demi.

"I can't let something go if it's upsetting my best friend. Whose ass am I kicking, Mi?" Demi giggled, nudging Miley.

Miley looked at Demi and sighed. "Nick and Selena are back together—maybe."

Demi's smile immediately faded. "Oh."

"Yeah..."

Demi stayed silent, and Miley knew she should've kept her mouth shut. Selena was a sensitive subject for Demi. She didn't like to voice her feelings on her used-to-be friendship. But Miley could tell... It killed Demi to not have Selena in her life anymore. The inseparables... Well, they had finally been separated. Miley couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. She couldn't shake that voice that kept saying it was her fault. But then again... Wasn't everything?

Demi shook off her upset look and put on a mad one. "Can't she find her own guy and quit picking up everyone's sloppy seconds?"

Miley winced. She hated it when Demi tried to act nonchalant about her broken friendship. "It was only Nick..."

Demi sniffed and shook her head. "Still it's not right... She should've learned the first time. It's you he loves, not her. It made me sick to have to watch her throw herself at him on the Camp Rock set."

Miley looked down. "But Nick didn't exactly push her away either..."

Demi wrapped her arm around Miley. "It was low, Miley. But he never cheated._ Nick could never handle the guilt of cheating_. And Selena thought I hated you at the time, so she would've told me."

Miley closed her eyes for a second, pushing back the tears that were stinging her eyes. "It's whatever, Demi. I shouldn't be mad. I have Liam. I love Liam. It's just... I can't believe he would go back to her, especially with everything he put me through."

"Yeah, but Miley, imagine what you're putting him through. He's performed Before the Storm like two or three times alone—"

"It's not our song, Demi. It's his," Miley interrupted. "He can perform it alone if he wants to."

Demi ignored her. "And you watched the video of him singing 'The Climb' and 'You Belong With Me' and all those other songs. That was obviously for you."

Miley shook her head. "Was it, Demi? I don't think so. It could've been for her."

"It wasn't."

Miley slammed her hand down on her bed. "Why not?! Let it be for Selena! It's her he went back to! He doesn't care about our relationship anymore, Demi! Because then maybe he would've had the decency to call! Ugh, I can't stand him! The things he does to me! I shouldn't care, but I do, and it makes me insane. I just wish we'd never met. Why couldn't it have been Selena he met first? Cut out the middle man, you know. It would have saved us a whole lot of pain. "

Demi looked away. "Maybe you're right. Why couldn't you have been my best friend first other than Selena? She could've had Taylor first. That would have saved me so much pain...."

Miley stayed quiet for awhile, but when she finally did speak it came out as a whisper. "I just wish everything could've been reversed. How much easier do you think life would've been if maybe the positions had been switched?"

Demi rested her head against Miley's shoulder. "So much easier..."

* * *

Kevin couldn't help but chuckled at the ridiculous distance Joe was keeping from Taylor. They were all walking to Nick's dressing room to congratulate him on a concert well done. Taylor was only there for Selena, though. She had bumped into Joe and Kevin on her way to find her friend. Kevin suggested that she might've been with Nick and that she should walk with them to find out. Joe shot him daggers when Taylor had reluctantly agreed, keeping her eyes away from Joe.

Kevin laughed at Joe's fast pace. He grabbed him by the arm and whispered in his ear, "It was two years ago. Be a man, let it go."

"Her first," Joe grumbled back to him.

Kevin pushed him forward causing Joe to nearly fall over. "So Taylor, how's life been? It's been awhile. Are you still dating that werewolf?"

Taylor had to take a second to process the fact the Kevin was actually talking to her. "Life's been good. No, Taylor and I broke up."

Joe snorted. "You dated a guy named Taylor?"

"It beats the name Camilla," Taylor shot back.

That shut Joe up.

Kevin laughed. He was probably enjoying this more than he should've been. "Sorry to hear."

"All's well. We're still good friends. It's not like he broke up with me over the phone or anything, so we're good," Taylor shrugged nonchalantly.

Joe hit the side of his fist against the wall and continued to walk faster. Kevin just...laughed. He looked at Taylor and winked. Taylor smiled back. So she was sure her friendship with Kevin was well on its way to being restored. Her friendship with Nick was an unspoken one. He performed her song—that was cool. And since Selena was friends with him, that kind of went for Taylor too. They were a package deal.

She looked ahead and sighed. Joe was another story. She didn't want to hate him. She just didn't want to be the first to apologize. "How's Demi and Miley? I haven't talked to them in awhile," Taylor said to Kevin. Joe's back stiffened at Demi's name but he didn't say anything. Instead, he burst out into a run towards Nick's dressing room. Anything to get away from Taylor.

Kevin looked in Joe's direction and sighed. "Oh, bad move bringing up Demi. Ever since... You know Selena and Demi aren't exactly friends anymore, right? Nick and Selena are becoming best friends. Demi and Miley are best friends. It's confusing really. Nick and Miley won't go anywhere near each other and neither will Selena and Demi. Joe's going to stay loyal to his brother no matter what, so since Nick won't go near Miley—who's always with Demi—Joe doesn't really talk to Demi anymore. Since Demi's always with Miley and Miley never talks to Nick—who's always with Selena— Demi doesn't talk to Joe because she's going to be loyal to Miley and she doesn't want to deal with Selena. It's all stupid to me."

Taylor laughed once. "You're right. That is confusing. But why would Joe get mad that I brought Demi up?"

Kevin looked around like he was making sure no one was listening. "Well, Joe would kill me if I said this, but I think he has feelings for Demi. Vice versa."

Taylor nodded. "Oh."

"Yeah... Joe doesn't hate Selena, but he would much rather it be Miley with Nick. That way he could at least talk to Demi. I'm not saying it's Sel's fault. I actually blame Nick and Miley for this. They need to grow up."

"Agreed. Well, great, now I feel bad for Joe. Thanks, Kevin," Taylor said sarcastically.

Kevin puckered his lips like he was trying to decide whether he should say something or not. He did anyway. "You know, Taylor... Joe doesn't hate you."

"I don't hate him, either. In fact, I wish we could put everything behind us and start over."

Kevin blinked, shocked. "What...? But I mean all your jabs at him. Ellen... SNL... Just now. You're sending mixed signals."

Taylor smiled. "You saw SNL? Kev, I was just trying to be funny. I didn't mean it. I want to be friends again. Go back to the good times, you know. I just wish we could have a fresh start."

Kevin smiled at Taylor. "I think Joe would want that too."

"Honestly, I think that's what we all need. Disney is too high school. And I'm not even apart of Disney."

Kevin laughed. "But you associate with people who are. You got sucked in."

Taylor sighed dramatically. "I need to find new friends."

Kevin and Taylor laughed as they walked into Nick's dressing room.

* * *

**(A week later)**

Nick stayed awake, staring at his bare ceiling, contemplating the turn his life was beginning to take. It was dark and the only sound he could hear was Joe snoring from the other room. Then Nick cracked a small smile as he listened to Kevin's faint muffles from across the hall. Kevin always talked in his sleep. Nick and Joe had found out once that that was a good way to get a juicy secret out of him. They were able to black mail him with so much stuff. It was a brother thing, and Nick loved his brothers. He could count on them to never change. They were his safety line in this screwed up world.

Safety line... Nick had only thought of one other person as that when he was younger. Miley. No matter what, whether he was down, mad, or his diabetes was getting the best of him, he could always count on Miley to cheer him up. The sound of her laugh had him smiling from ear to ear, and he knew it would be a good day no matter what.

He didn't have that anymore.

And he didn't know why.

Summer '09 had been an amazing summer for the both of them. Hell, over half the year of '09 had been amazing. He had once seen it put as the "Niley Year". He had chuckled and discarded the thought of him and Miley ever getting back together. But then he had seen her at an award show, wearing a stunning dress to match her gorgeous smile... and he felt like that nervous thirteen year-old all over again. The effects she had on him... It was something he could never explain, because he himself didn't understand. It was that one look that had him yearning for her. It reconnected them in ways he could never imagine possible...

And then the summer ended...

And reality took over.

They called it quits, letting their jobs and dreams get in the way once more. Miley found comfort in an Australian guy while Nick threw himself into his new project as a solo artist. And once again, Nick found himself in a place of denial. Denial for Miley and everything else around him. He wanted nothing more than to forget and move on. Then the New Year came, and along with it an old friend....

The year of "Nelena" had begun. Selena was photographed with Nick numerous times. They were becoming closer, almost inseparable. A sense of Déjà Vu crept up Nick's spine as he laughed and joked with his ex. She found refuge in him with the lost of her once best friend, and he found himself slowly mending a broken heart. But he could never love her like he loved Miley... Selena knew that. And as much as he did not want to admit it, Nick hated it.

Because Selena loved him. She wanted to give him her all. But he couldn't do that for her. His all belonged to someone who didn't even care for it anymore...

Nick sighed, looking down at his phone. He picked it up and stared at the wallpaper. The blue-eyed beauty stared right back up at him. Going to his pictures, he searched for that specific one. Once he found it, he pressed the menu option for "delete". _Would you like to delete this photo?_ He read on his screen. Was he really ready to let her go?

Staring at the picture for countless seconds, he knew the answer very well. Sighing once more, he pressed "no". Whether he liked it or not, his heart would always belong to Miley. It had been that way since June 11th, 2006; and it was going to stay that way 'til the end of time.

Slowly, Nick fell asleep.

* * *

Miley stared out her window, eyeing the full white moon that stared right back at her. The slick, wet streets glistened under the street lights, and Miley couldn't help but smile as she felt a sense of familiarity seep through her mind. It was a sad, ironic smile though.

Looking at the stars, she couldn't help but picturing a face in them. A face she had dreamt about every night since she was thirteen. Memories danced through her mind—some good, some bad. And as she let herself get lost in the countless memories, she almost didn't notice the black storm clouds that began to block her view from the stars. A fake laugh escaped her lips...

Looked like the Storm was back...

* * *

Selena fiddled with her fingers, letting her eyes wonder around her dark, night-filled room. She leaned back against the side of her bed, listening to the rain drops pelt against her window, and thought of the many times her and her ex-best friend spent in here, laughing, crying, and having senseless pillow fights.

Would she ever get back Demi?

Her answer came in a text.

_Get on twitter, now. Look wut she started... _From Taylor.

Selena quickly grabbed her laptop and got onto her twitter account. She had numerous replies and messages. Clicking on a few, her jaw dropped. Since when had the fans become so mean? Then she let her eyes wonder towards the Trending Topics. One of them was #AskTaylor. Selena clicked on it and was greeted with numerous tweets from fans everywhere. All of them involved her, Demi, and Taylor. _What the heck? _Selena thought. Then she spotted a link to a video and immediately clicked on it. Demi's face with some fans started playing. Selena's brow furrowed in confusion. What was so bad about this? She kept watching.

Half way into the video, Selena heard a voice in the background ask, "How's Selena?"

Selena's heart quickened. Maybe this was Demi's chance to prove she really cared...

Instead, Demi looked up towards the voice. She plastered on a huge smile and in a sarcastic tone she replied, "Ask Taylor."

Selena's heart broke. She looked at the title of the video... "Demi disses Selena". Why did she watch this? Even worse, why would she bother to look at the comments? Why not? It's not like her world wasn't already shattered.

_Haha! Serves that bitch right! Memi!_

_Awww! What happened to their friendship? How could they let it go?_

_LOL! "ASK TAYLOR". THATS FUNNY! GO DEMI!_

_TEAM SELENA/TAYLOR! Miley and demi are total bitches!_

Those weren't even the worst of them... Selena read on until her vision became too blurry with tears that she couldn't even see anymore. She closed her laptop and placed it on top of her bed. Bringing her knees to her chest, she placed her head in her hands and cried.

**Why did life have to be this way?**

* * *

**First chapters always suck. That's my excuse haha ;p. Review?**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Alright, this is skipped ahead by like a month or so. Not much of a difference, but you know...  
Also, for those who read Comatose, there will be an update sometime this week. Promise :)  
I have the next chapter of this finished, but I won't be posting it until AFTER Comatose is updated.**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

"You're late," Taylor said as Kevin slid in the booth across from her. "I've been sitting here for the past half hour."

Kevin smiled and sipped at his coffee. "Sorry, Joe held me up. He's not too thrilled over our new friendship."

"He can suck it up. I'm not doing anything to him. Such a big baby all the time..."

Kevin laughed. "I hear ya. So what did you want to meet me here for? What was so urgent?"

Taylor fiddled with her coffee cup for a while debating on if she could tell Kevin or not. They had become best friends over the past few weeks, but that might not have been a good thing. The closer they got, the more the feelings started to stir...

Whoa. Re-phasing that... The more the feelings started to stir...for Joe.

Yup, that's right. The more she hung out with Kevin, the more she had to be around Joe. At first, the thought just seemed so unattractive to her... Ew. Who would want to hang out with their ex-boyfriend? But as time progressed, Taylor found the nice side to it. His smile... His new haircut... Those cute glasses he's always wearing...His silly jokes... Gah! It made her so crazy to think that she had gone full circle.

But as Kevin waited for her to say something, she also remembered another thing... _"Well, Joe would kill me if I said this, but I think he has feelings for Demi. Vice versa."_

Taylor mentally groaned. Damn... She forgot about that.

"Well...?" Kevin asked.

Taylor bit her lip. "Uhm... I just... wanted to invite you and your brothers to my concert tonight. Yeah... I think it would be nice for us all to get together..."

Kevin nodded his head. "Oh... Uhm... Taylor I don't think Joe—"

"I'll invite Demi and Miley, too! Yeah, let's just get the whole gang together!" Honestly, Taylor would do anything to have Joe at her concert... Even if that meant inviting the girl he was in love with... And her best friend's love first love... Does that make sense? Yeah, it didn't make much sense to her either, but...

Kevin still looked unconvinced. "Oh... Tay, you know I would love to. And I think having Demi there would persuade Joe somewhat..." Ouch. "But Miley there with Nick..."

Taylor threw her hands up. "They'll get over it! Look, we need this. We all need this. We need to forget about the past few months. We need to remember who we are and what's made us into what we are today... All of us have molded the other into what we really are... and this fighting... It's getting out of hand."

Kevin gave her a small smile. "Okay, text everyone.... We'll let them choose."

Taylor popped out her phone. "On it."

* * *

Miley stared at the text then at Demi. Demi just looked at Miley, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Was this for real?

"Err... Maybe she sent this to the wrong person..." Miley suggested. "Maybe she meant to send this to another Miley..."

Demi rolled her eyes. "How many other Mileys could she possible know? Besides, I got the same text too. It was for both of us."

Miley looked back down at her phone. She read aloud, _"Hey! Getting the gang back together! I'm inviting everyone to my concert tonight here at the Staples Center. Hope you can make it!" _She looked back at Demi. "Taylor's up to something..."

"When she says gang, does she mean...?"

"You, me, her, Kevin, Joe, and...the other two..."

Demi giggled. "Miley, they have names."

Miley sniffed and turned away. "Don't care."

Demi sighed and looked back at the text. "We don't want to be rude, you know... If we don't show up, they'll think we hate them."

Miley twisted her mouth, sarcastically. "Yeah... Because I care _so_ much what they think of me."

Demi sighed, putting down her phone. "I want to go... And deep down—seriously deep down—I know you want to go too."

"Why would I want to go? Watching Nick swap spit with Selena isn't exactly on my agenda for tonight. Maybe another time."

Demi sneered. "Okay, ew... And what better things could you possibly have to do? Liam's gone. Mandy's gone. Hang out with your family? Snore... Face it, Miley—for a multi-millionaire teenager... You really don't have a life."

Miley glared. "I'm ignoring that. I just don't want to go, okay? And, no offense, but I'm pretty sure you're not exactly Taylor's favorite person," Miley giggled.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know... you should _'Ask Taylor'_," Miley laughed.

Demi frowned, confused for a second, before... "Oh my gosh! Do NOT tell me people took that out of context! I was kidding!"

Miley continued to laugh. "Didn't seem like it. It's fine, Dems. People got a good laugh out of it. It's like the new _'that's what she said.'_"

Demi grabbed Miley's arm and pulled her towards her closet. "We're going."

* * *

Selena looked at Nick, confused. "Uhh... Is she serious?"

Nick looked at his phone and shrugged. "I guess... C'mon what's the harm in it? You can see Demi and just put all this stuff in the past. I think it will be fun. Just a night to let go."

"You just want to see Miley..." Selena said with her voice cracking. It would never be fair to her. She would never be able to see why he loves her so much.

Nick closed his eyes. "Don't." He had told Selena that he was going to try to give Miley up. It didn't make it any easier when Selena continued to bring her up. "You know very well that I—"

"That you still love her. Yeah, don't remind me..."

Nick's grip tightened. Why, oh why, did she have to be so complicated? He needed someone to be his friend, not judge. "Stop it, Selena. Now."

Selena couldn't. "Why her?! She doesn't care about you! She left! Why must you continue to chase her? She doesn't care, Nick!"

Nick stood up. "Are you kidding me? Are you like jealous or something? Oh, how attractive, Selena. Look, I like you... a lot. I want to try us again—I really do—but, maybe if you weren't so—"

Selena stood up too. "So what Nick?! Tell me."

"Maybe if you weren't so...demanding, to a sense, then maybe we could be together!"

Selena got in his face. "Demanding?! What does that mean? How am I demanding?!"

Nick laughed. "Oh, I don't know... Always trying to get me to be with you... Always trying to get me to drop Miley... Needing me every second of the day! If that's not demanding, then please tell me what that is!"

Selena paused for a second. "This..." She leaned up and kissed him.

Nick's eyes widened. What was she doing?! He wanted to pull away, but he didn't want to seem rude... And maybe this was the push he needed to finally let go of Miley. And he really needed to let go of Miley. So he closed his eyes and kissed her back...

**(A/N; Ew. I'm sorry, but I rushed that scene on purpose... ugh.)**

* * *

"No," Joe said simply.

"Demi will be there," Kevin persuaded. "And I think it would be nice, you know. All of us together again. Like the normal days... The good days."

Joe had to think that Demi one over, but the rest was..."Bullshit."

"What?"

Joe shook his head. "All of that is just bullshit. I don't know what weird scheme you and Taylor have come up with, but I don't want any part of it. I don't like Taylor."

Kevin smiled. "So? You don't have to like her. And there is no scheme between me and Taylor. We just want us all to be friends again. And I _know _you want to see Demi again. C'mon dude, tonight is your perfect night to tell Demi how you feel. Tell her you love her!"

Joe laughed. "I don't love her... I just... She's special to me, Kevin. She's my best friend. I can't ruin that."

"You are by ignoring her!"

"I'm not ignoring her... I'm just being loyal to Nick. What's so bad about being a good brother?"

"And what's so bad about being a good_ friend_, Joe?"

Joe looked down. He wanted to see Demi more than anything. He knew his feelings could be contained no more... He was in love with that girl. They had promised each other that they would be nothing more than the very best friends, but some way, somehow, she grew on him. She was everything he loved. Her wittiness... Her playful attitude... That teasing gleam in her eye or sarcastic twist to her smile. He loved how she was not afraid to speak her mind and tell others how she really felt. When she was angry at someone, they knew it. Joe would know... He smiled as he thought of the first time she got angry at him. She beat him with her purse because he'd pulled a chair from her just as she was sitting down. All he could say was that girl had an arm. He had once had the bruises to prove it. "Alright... I'll go."

Kevin grinned. "Ha... Knew it."

* * *

Miley and Demi walked down the long hall way towards Taylor's dressing room. Three security guards were escorting them and Miley slightly wondered if she could ask them to stay once she came in view of Selena... Not that Miley had any reason to do anything, but you know, just in case...

"What are we supposed to say to them when we see them," Miley whispered to Demi. "What if she didn't mean to send us that text and we're here uninvited..."

Demi rolled her eyes. "It's too late to get out of this... Besides, if she didn't know we were coming then the security guards wouldn't have let us in. Now shut up and put on your best smile... Nick's through that door."

Miley grit her teeth. "I have Liam, Demi. Take your own advice... Joe's in there."

Demi huffed. "Stop with that Liam crap. You may be fooling the whole world, but you're not fooling me. If you don't care about what Nick thinks, then what's with the little red dress you chose tonight, hmm? Now, I personally think you look too sexy for good intentions. Don't you agree, big fella?"

One of the security guards turned around and looked at Miley, head to toe. "She's right. Now the dress might not be a big give away for the less observant, but the heels definitely do the trick."

Another security guard turned around. "Really? I was thinking the make-up. Your eyes have this certain seductive look to them. And that lipstick... It just screams 'Kiss me, Nick!'"

The third security guard turned around and smiled. "Will you two shut up? I'm sure the gal is nervous enough to see her ex with her enemy. She's got to look hot to show him what he's given up. I personally think she looks gorgeous." He turned to wink at her.

Miley blushed. "How old are you? You look too young to be a security guard." She was right. He had to be not much older than fifteen. He was so much smaller than the other guards and he had a head full of shaggy dark hair whereas the other two were bald. He had to push it out of the way to look at Miley and when he did Miley smiled. She had seen many guys with brown eyes—her favorite color—but she couldn't deny that he had the prettiest. They just popped out at you.

He stuck his hand out and she shook it. "The name's Alex. I'll be sixteen in a few months. This here's my uncle Scott." The biggest of the security guards—the one who observed Miley's heels—turned and tipped a pretend hat. "He's letting me come to work with him for a few extra bucks. Can't complain. Get to meet lots of pretty ladies." He winked again at Miley and nodded at Demi. Even though he was a good year or so younger than them, they couldn't help but blush.

"You're quite the ladies man," Demi commented.

Alex shrugged. "I try."

"Where are you from?" Miley asked. "East Coast? Your accent kind of gives you away."

Alex smiled. "Jersey to be exact. Picked up on that quick. Most people don't."

Demi smirked. "She dated a guy from New Jersey. She's used to it."

Alex nodded. "Lucky guy."

Miley elbowed Demi in the ribs and cleared her throat. "So why are you here in L.A.?"

Alex looked up at his uncle. "Just for a new experience, I guess." His uncle looked down at him, but didn't say anything. Alex looked a head and smiled. "Ahh, here we are ladies. We escorted your friends here earlier so you two are a tad late. Concert starts in ten minutes. Miss Anderson **(Swift)** is already getting ready so it's just those brothers and the witch."

"Wizard," Demi corrected.

Alex shrugged. "Sure, same thing. So anyways, if you need anything, don't hesitate to holler."

Scott looked down at his nephew and laughed. "Not part of the job, buddy."

Alex ignored him, putting on his best smile. "I'm hoping I'll be seeing you two later." He opened the door for them.

Demi smiled. "You're a cutie. Give me a call in a few years." She winked at him and walked in.

Miley looked at him. "You're a sweet guy, Alex. Don't change."

Alex winked. "For you, I won't." Miley smiled and kissed him on the cheek before walking into the room. "Enjoy the concert beautiful." Alex said closing the door. He smiled at his uncle before walking off.

Scott looked at the other security guard and frowned. "How does he do it?"

He shrugged. "Wish I knew." They both shook their heads and followed Alex.

* * *

Nick watched as Miley leaned in to kiss the cheek the smallest of the three security guards. What the heck? What business did Miley have kissing some random security guard? Who was that dweeb anyways? His jealousy made him forget the dark haired female clinging on his left arm as he let it flex with hate. If Selena noticed, she didn't complain.

Nick's eyes soon found their way to Miley's legs. Whoa... He let them slowly roam up them—it seemed like days—towards her hips. He admired the way her small red dress kissed those curves. His eyes started going up again and landed on the good amount of the cleavage view her dress was giving him. His eyes relaxed there for a few good seconds before looking up at her face... And quickly turning away. A blush burned across his cheeks as he felt Miley's oceanic eyes burn into his skin. He'd been caught...

He looked at his brothers. Kevin was trying to hold back a laugh as he had watched what had happened. Joe, on the other hand, was too busy staring at Demi. Nick caught the mesmerized look in his eyes and he wondered if that's what he looked like when he looked at Miley. Of course he did. Nick knew that look... It was the look of being in love. Nick smiled and looked at Kevin, a question in his eyes.

Kevin nodded, knowing exactly what Nick was thinking, confirming Nick's thoughts. Nick looked back at Joe, smiling. His brother was in love with Demi. How had he not known that?

Kevin was the first to break the awkward silence. "Miley! Demi! It's been so long! You two look beautiful. How has it been going?"

Demi glanced at Miley, realizing for the first time how awkward this would be. It broke her heart to think of how distant she had become with her brothers. "Thank you. You three look handsome yourselves..." Demi noticed the way Selena's head flinched back when she didn't include her. "We've been good."

Joe smiled. "I'm so happy to see you."

Demi smiled back at him. "You too..."

Hesitating for only a second, Joe made his way towards Demi and Miley. He pulled Miley in for a big hug, lifting her off the ground and laughing when she squealed to let her down. Once he put her down, he pulled Demi closer to him, making this hug just a little more intimate than the one with Miley. Everyone looked away to give them privacy.

Miley's eyes found their way to Nick. He looked gorgeous with his shirt sleeves rolled up his arms and a few of his top buttons unbuttoned. She bit her lip as he smiled at her.

"Hello, Miley," he said softly.

"Nick," Miley's voice shook. She mentally slapped her self. That's when she noticed the dark haired girl clinging onto his arm. "Selena..."

"Hi, Miley."

Kevin laughed. "Well don't be strangers! Hug!"

Nick respectfully shook Selena off his arm and walked slowly over to Miley. "Don't be shy," he whispered almost seductively—or at least that's how Miley heard it—and opened his arms. Miley closed her eyes and hugged him back. His scent burned her nose and she had to lean in closer. "You look so beautiful," he murmured low enough so that only she could hear.

"You too," She breathed out. "Handsome, I mean. You look good."

Nick pulled away—much to Miley's dismay—and smiled. "I'm really glad you came. I've missed you. We all have."

"I'm sure," Miley said, eyeing Selena. "How's tour been going?"

"Good, I guess," Nick shrugged. "Kinda boring without my brothers, though."

"But I'm sure you've kept good company," Miley stated, pointing at Selena.

Nick glanced at her. "Yeah... She's gone to a few concerts of mine. We've become good friends again. It's nice."

"I bet."

Nick frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Miley shrugged. "Oh... nothing. I'm just saying, you can't hang out as much as you two have without there being something going on."

"Still don't understand..."

Miley rolled her eyes. "Are you two dating or what? I mean you can tell me... Right?"

Nick looked back at Selena and watched as she talked very privately to Kevin. He wondered what they were talking about, because both of them kept throwing side glances toward him and Miley. He noticed that jealous look she held in her eye as she estimated the distance between Miley and him—which was practically none. He watched as Kevin kept trying to shield off Selena's view from them. Something was apparent in Kevin's eye... Nick just didn't know what.

"So," Miley asked impatiently, "are you dating or not?"

Nick bit his tongue back. Why did Miley want to know so badly? Her eagerness had him worried; because he could lie or tell the truth... It didn't matter what he said, he would end up hurting one of them. He knew that if Miley figured out that they were together it would be like 2008 all over again. She would most likely get mad and never talk to him again... And he certainly didn't want that. Or he could lie and say they weren't dating, resulting in hurting Selena's feelings.

He cared about them both, but who did he care for more?

He looked back at Miley and shook his head. "No. We're not dating. Just friends..."

Miley nodded her head. "Oh, that's too bad. I think you two look good together..." She gave him a small smile and walked over to where Joe and Demi were.

"Guys we better get going. Concerts about to start," Kevin said. He turned to Miley and chuckled, "Listen, Danielle isn't here so it seems to me that we are the only dateless people here. It would be an honor to have the Miley Stewart as my date."

"What?"

Kevin cocked his head and smiled. "Joe and Demi..." Miley and Kevin turned their heads just in time to see Joe reaching for Demi's hand and Demi giggling. "Nick and Selena..." They both turned to see Selena grabbing Nick's arm and Nick shifting slightly away from her. His eyes caught Miley's.

"Nick just told me they weren't together."

Kevin's smile disappeared. "What? That's not what he told me and Joe today... They got together today."

Miley nodded and grabbed onto Kevin's arm. "Oh..."

Demi heard what Kevin said. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Joe answered for Kevin. "He came home after having lunch with her and told us that they kissed and got together."

Kevin started leading them towards the door. "Wonder why he told you otherwise."

Miley stared at Nick. "Me too."

Nick caught her accusing stare. _Shit..._

* * *

**Before anyone freaks on Alex's character, let me just warn you... He's a small character that I just put in for fun. Think nothing of him. Good? Kay. :)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Glad you guys liked Alex. I put him in this chapter. He's actually based off one of my best freinds. I just changed the name.**

**So I wanna explain something to you all. Most stories start out with a sort of outline. Like it starts out when everything is fine...then there's tension...then drama...and usually a breaking point. I started this story when they're right about to hit their breaking point. And here it is. Tension and drama have passed.  
So I hope you enjoy... :)**

**

* * *

  
**

**(After the concert)**

Everyone barged into Taylor's dressing room after the concert, laughing. The concert was amazing and it really brought them all together. Also, because Alex had joined them shortly after the concert had started and he was certainly a fresh breath of air to them. He knew how to charm all the girls and joke with the guys.

"That was crazy," Alex laughed. "Miss Taylor, you are a shining light on the stage. I was blinded by your beauty. Still am."

"Gosh, how old are you? You're making me blush," Taylor giggled.

"He's quite the charmer," Demi commented.

"Prince Charming," Miley smiled.

Nick frowned.

Alex smiled at them all. "Thanks sweethearts. I am charming, aren't I?"

"If I didn't have a boyfriend, I'd snatch you up in a heartbeat," Miley joked.

"Me too," Selena laughed.

_No, I'm totally not standing here,_ Nick thought.

Alex looked at Selena. "_You_ have a boyfriend?" It came out a little more incredulous than what he really intended, but lucky for him, Selena didn't notice.

"Yeah... Him," Selena said pointing at Nick.

Nick froze.

"Really?" Miley faked surprise. "Nick, why didn't you tell me? I'm so happy for you two." She smirked at Demi, and Demi giggled to herself. Miley had informed her of the asshole's little lie during the concert.

"I guess it just slipped my mind," Nick mumbled sourly.

Selena looked at him, a little hurt, but she shook it off. "We got together today..."

"_What?_" Demi's voice went up a good octave in fake surprise. "Girl, why did you not tell me? That's awesome." Miley rolled her eyes at Demi's attempt to be surprised and friendly. Miley could read what was really going through Demi's mind. Something along the lines of, _"You little whore."_

"I didn't think you'd care," Selena muttered.

Demi laughed obnoxiously, but didn't say a word. Everyone gave her weird looks while Miley just shook her head at her.

"Is she okay?" Alex whispered to Miley.

"Not since birth..." Miley grumbled.

Alex nodded his head. "Gotcha."

"Okay..." Kevin said, still eyeing Demi who was just getting over her fit of giggles. "How about we all go out for dinner? Our treat," he pulled Nick and Joe towards him.

"Sounds good," Taylor said.

"Absolutely," Miley agreed.

"Sure," Demi shrugged.

Selena just nodded her head.

Alex looked at them awkwardly. "Well, I guess I should leave you celebrities to your night. I'll go back to my non-important life... Bye."

"Bye," Nick said glad this kid was finally leaving.

The girls had another idea.

All of them grabbed onto Alex's arms, freaking him out slightly. "You're going!"

* * *

Kevin frowned at the three different limos that were parked in front of them, waiting for their passengers. Taylor and Selena had taken their own to the concert, as did the brothers and Miley and Demi. "I think it would be ridiculous to have to go in different cars. I'm sure we can all fit in our limo."

Taylor nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

"Alright, right this way," Joe said leading them towards the limo. "Ladies first." He opened the door and waited until all the girls climbed in. Taylor was the last to get in. She accidentally slipped trying to get in. Joe quickly caught her hand in his, keeping her balanced. "Careful there..." He whispered.

"Thanks," she mumbled before sliding fully in.

Demi caught the small exchange. She frowned and looked at Miley. Miley just shrugged.

Nick was the first guy to get in, crawling his way over to the empty spot near Selena. Lucky for him—or unlucky, however you want to look at it—the spot was right between Selena and Miley. He squeezed in awkwardly between them almost falling on Miley. "Sorry," he muttered sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it," Miley whispered looking away.

Across from them, the seating went Kevin, Taylor, Joe, and then Demi. Joe's body tightened when Taylor's hair brushed against his face, and Demi's leg rubbed against his. "Where are we going?" He sighed.

Kevin looked over at him. "I was thinking... Olive Garden? Something casual, but not too casual."

Nick mentally groaned. "That's an hour way from here."

Kevin laughed, knowing exactly the kind of torment this was putting Nick through. "Then you better start getting comfortable now."

Nick glared at him, wrapping an arm around Selena.

"How are you?" Miley asked Alex, who was sitting right by her.

His eyes were wide with excitement, and he couldn't contain that grin that was plastered on his face. "I have never felt better."

Miley laughed and patted his hand. He smiled and wrapped his hand around hers in a friendly way.

Nick snarled silently to himself.

This was going to be a long ride....

* * *

"Finally," Joe sighed as the restaurant came into view.

Selena lifted her head from Nick's shoulder. "I'm starving..."

Miley's body shifted slightly, causing her already too high dress to rise just a little higher. Nick gulped as her bare skin started to taunt him. Acting as if it was an unconscious move, Nick wiped his hand down his leg, his fingers "accidently" brushing against her skin.

Miley froze.

"Kevin, are you going to open that door?" Joe grunted. "We're all hungry here."

Kevin rolled his eyes and opened the door. He, Taylor, Joe, and Demi all slid out of the car. Just as Selena was getting out, Miley gasped. Everyone looked at her. "I think I lost my ear-ring," she explained touching her ear.

Alex looked down. "I don't see it?"

"Nick, are you sitting on it?" Miley asked.

Nick sat up a little, searching for it. "No?"

"Can you help me find it?"

Selena rolled her eyes. "Ugh, who cares? It'll be here when we get back. Let's go."

Alex sighed. "She's right. Let's just go eat."

"You guys can go. I need to look for it. It's really expensive," Miley said desperately.

"I'll save you a seat in there," Alex said while crawling around Miley and Nick to get out of the car.

"Nick , can you help me? Please? We might find it faster."

"Nick..." Selena urged.

"I'll be there soon, Selena. Miley needs my help."

Selena stared at him and Miley for a few seconds, torn. Nick said he cared for her, right? He wouldn't do anything... And Miley had a boyfriend. She sighed. "Be quick..."

"We will," Miley assured her.

Selena and Alex walked off towards the restaurant.

"I don't see it, Miley..." Nick said still looking.

Miley watched as Selena and Alex walked into the building, before slamming the car door shut. Nick jumped at the sound and turned towards Miley. "What are you—"

She grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the seat. "You're a little liar..."

Nick gasped. When did she get so strong? "Miley, I can explain..."

Miley climbed onto of him, straddling him between her legs. "You crossed the line. It's my turn," she purred in his ear.

Nick went weak. Oh God... "M-Miley... You have a b-boyfriend..."

Miley put her face in the crook of his neck, letting her lips linger on his skin. "So? What he doesn't know won't hurt him... Secrets, Nick. You're good at those."

Nick's heart starting pounding against his chest. Was she serious? He placed his hand on her hips and gasped. He just couldn't seem to get enough air... "I don't understand..."

"Do you want me, Nick?"

"I..."

"It's a yes or no question."

"Y-yes..." He breathed out.

Miley started to unbutton his shirt. Soon she was pushing it off his body, and rubbing her hands against his chest. "How bad?"

"So bad..."

Her mouth covered his chest with kisses. Nick's breathing was so shallow, it was embarrassing.

"Well," she whispered in his ear, "make your move."

Without any hesitation, Nick grabbed Miley's face and kissed her with as much passion as he could muster. His tongue slipped in her mouth and Miley groaned. Their bodies pressed hard against each other. One of Nick's hands found its way towards her leg. It slid up her dress, making Miley gasp a little.

* * *

"I wander what's taking Nick and Miley so long," Selena mumbled looking at the door.

"Quickie in the limo," Demi joked.

Joe nudged her and rolled his eyes.

"Real mature," Taylor huffed.

"It's called a joke," Demi snapped.

"It was uncalled for," Joe grumbled. Taylor nodded her head in agreement.

Demi rolled her eyes. "Whatever..."

"Maybe I should go get them," Selena said getting up.

Kevin pulled her back down. "I'm sure they're fine."

"Yeah," Alex said. "Just relax doll. I'm sure they'll be here soon."

Selena nodded her head, and sighed.

* * *

"Fuck," Nick whispered. "Fuck fuck fuck..."

Miley rubbed her temples. Shit... She didn't mean to take it that far. Her intention was to prove a point to him... Not...you know. But as soon as his lips had hit hers, she was lost. "I...didn't think..."

"You never do," Nick growled zipping up his pants and buttoning them.

Miley raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me? Did I rape you?"

"You attacked me!" He yelled. "Where's my shirt?!"

Miley tossed it at him. "It takes two..."

Nick slipped his shirt on and started buttoning it. "You are unbelievable... You have a boyfriend! I have a girlfriend!"

Miley suddenly remembered her point. But thinking about it now, it could have been approached in many different ways.... "You don't love Selena."

"Don't tell me who I do and don't love," Nick snarled. "You don't know anything."

Miley scoffed. "We just had sex! I think I know what I'm talking about!"

Nick cringed at the word. "Please, don't..."

"I'm so sorry... I didn't know how ashamed you are of me," her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I _do_ love Selena."

"You show it well."

Nick slammed his fist against the seat. "What do you want from me, Miley?! Please, tell me, because I am just so damn confused!"

"I want the truth."

"Why?!" Nick cried. "What good would it be?!"

Miley stayed silent. Good question... She should've thought of that before... "I don't know..."

Nick laughed with no humor. "Amazing... Alright, truth. I do love Selena. I do... But not the way I love you. I just put my relationship on the line for you! Why?! Because I love you, Miley! I'm sure want to know why I'm with Selena. Well, it's to just get over you. I'm tired of feeling like some pathetic lovesick puppy. I'm tired of chasing after you. I'm tired of feeling heartbroken every time I see pictures of you and Liam. I'm tired of it all. I'm done."

"I never meant to hurt you..."

Nick put his head in his hands. "I think it's safe to say we're both pretty screwed up..."

They both stayed quiet, trying to regain their thoughts.

"Do you think life would be this way if we hadn't been each other's first love?" Miley asked quietly. "What if Selena had been there on June 11, rather than me? How do you think we would've turned out?"

Nick sighed. "So much happier...."

Miley looked away. "I do love Liam. You know, it used to be you that I'd imagine marrying... Somehow the image changed to him... I can't be with you for the rest of my life, but I just can't seem to let you go."

"We've hurt each other too much, Miley," Nick said with his voice cracking. "This just became the icing on the cake."

Miley sighed. "Avoiding each other does no good... But see where being near each other got us... What now?"

Nick shook his head. "I really wish I knew..."

Miley sighed. "They're probably worrying about us... Let's go."

* * *

"There you are!" Kevin smiled. "Find your ear-ring?"

"Yeah," Miley said taking her seat by Demi. "Wedged right in the seat."

Nick sat right by Selena, feeling guilty when her hand wrapped around his. "Did you guys already order?"

"Yeah," Joe said, staring at him suspiciously. "We ordered you a steak and Miley a salad. Is that good?"

"Perfect," Miley assured him. Demi caught the small shaking in her voice. She tried to get Miley's attention, but Miley avoided any direct eye contact with anyone.

"Speaking of food," Alex grinned. "Here it is."

Miley and Nick stared at each other from across the table as the waiter place their food in front of them. Joe stared at Demi then Taylor. Taylor stared at Joe. Selena stared at Demi. Demi stared at Joe. Kevin stared at everyone. And Alex... Well, all he was staring at was the huge, juicy steak that was staring right back at him. He licked his lips, and dug in. Soon, everyone was following his actions.

* * *

"I had a great time," Alex said walking towards his uncle's car. "Sweethearts, call me anytime. Do not hesitate. And dudes... Glad to know y'all aren't gay." He winked at the girls and hopped in his uncle's car. Soon they drove off into the distance.

"Why is he so dreamy?" Demi asked. "I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I feel so attracted to him right now."

Joe looked down. "Yeah..."

"I think it's time to take the ladies home now," Kevin said yawning. "I'm tired."

Miley's eyes widened. Crap... They were gonna take the limo... They limo her and Nick... Shit.

Nick soon caught her drift, and winced when he got into the limo, sitting on the same seat that they...

Selena sat next to him...

Oh God.

* * *

Miley was the last girl to be dropped off at her house. Nick got out to walk her to her door. "So..."

Miley sighed. "Nick, we can't be together... Ever. It's not possible."

"I understand," Nick nodded.

"I think we just mess up each other..."

Nick nodded again. "I just wish I knew where we'd gone wrong."

"I used to think that breaking up on December 19 had been the worst thing that had ever happened to us... Maybe it was the right thing."

Nick looked down. "Yeah... I should get going."

Miley bit her lip before leaning down to kiss Nick's cheek. "If anything... I'm glad you were my first."

"I love you, Miles."

"I love you too, Nick."

"Bye..." Nick took one last look at her before walking to the limo.

"Bye," Miley cried. She opened the door to her house and quickly slammed it, not caring if her family heard her... She slid down it and cried.

* * *

Once Nick got home, he ran straight up to his room. He couldn't breathe. It felt like someone had stabbed a knife right through his chest. It felt like someone had stuck him into a tub full of ice. He gripped at his chest and gasped for air. He was ready to pull his hair out. Tears streamed down his cheeks...

He had felt like this only once before and it was the night he had broken up with Miley in 2007. It had taken everything in him not to go back to her and ask her for forgiveness. He had to resist. Just like he had to now. He wanted to so badly to run to her house and beg her to take him back.

But they couldn't be together... It wasn't right anymore. Maybe at one point they had been each other's destiny, but that time was long gone. Life had thrown so many obstacles at them that it just didn't seem fair to put them through it again.

Nick dropped to his knees and cried even harder. He yelled and growled and punched the floor. It was time to let everything go. Tonight, he would torcher himself over every mistake he ever made that brought him to this point. Tomorrow, Nick would focus on his career and Selena.

Nick had said this many times before, but this time he meant it...

He was letting go.

* * *

Demi texted and called Miley numerous times with no luck. Miley refused to answer. Something went down between her and Nick, and whatever it was, it was effecting Miley. She had barely spoken a word at dinner, and even on the ride home she refused to look at anyone. Nick too.

Demi sighed as she sent off her last text. "_Plz tell me wut happnd. Im wrried abt u._ "

Scrolling through her phone, Demi found an old photo of her and Joe. She smiled. Would she ever be able to tell him how she felt?

Scrolling to another photo, it was one of her and Selena. They looked so happy. It was taken on a really sunny day at the beach. Demi remembered how at that time it was all about the Gray Brothers, Demi and Selena. Miley was history.

Would it be selfish to think she wanted to go back to that? Not the Miley being history part, but her Selena, and the brothers all one big happy family. Most people hated that year, but to Demi, it was the best year of her life.

She couldn't believe that she was never getting it back.

* * *

Joe stared out his window, thinking. He couldn't shake the image of Taylor on stage from his mind. She looked so real... so beautiful... He'd forgotten what it was like to watch her perform. It was breath-taking.

All thoughts of hate toward her had been thrown out the window. They were replaced with thoughts of beauty, wonder, and excitement. His heart raced at thought of him falling back in love with her...

But where would that leave Demi? Well she said she liked that Alex kid... And they were closer in age rather than him and her. Maybe this was a good thing...

Maybe this was the right thing.

* * *

Selena wanted to call Nick to see what was up with him, but she didn't want to pry. He did seem pretty upset at dinner...

It was probably Miley's fault. Everything was Miley's fault. She ruined her friendship with Demi... She also might be trying to ruin her new relationship with Nick. Couldn't that girl be happy with what she had rather than trying to have more? Selfish...

* * *

Taylor strummed away at her guitar, already finishing up a new song she started twenty minutes ago. Inspiration? Yeah you guessed it. Joe.

Her hand was still tingly from where he touched her. She had caught him staring at her more than once. And he had walked her to her door. It was amazing... At one point she thought he was going to kiss her.

Technically, she wasn't "stealing" him from Demi since they weren't together and Taylor made no move at him. If Joe came to her on his own, how would it be her fault? Who is she to deny him?

Things were falling back into place.

* * *

Miley threw a framed picture of her and Nick against her wall, loving the sound of its glass shattering. That was the last breakable thing she could find in her room so she ran out to her balcony. "Are you happy?!" She screamed at the sky. "Is this what you wanted?! My misery?! Well, here it is!" She dropped to the cold, stone floor and cried harder. She screamed as her heart broke even more. Why was she feeling like this? She had Liam... She had Liam....

But she wanted Nick. She needed him.

She couldn't have him.

"Please," she whispered looking back up at the sky, "stop this pain. Anything... I'll do anything if you just make it go away. Whatever you can do... Make me forget... Please, fix this..."

She looked back down, and cried harder.

Guess she'd have to learn... Be careful what you wish for.

* * *

**Sooo... I'm not very good at emotional scenes. Hopefully, you could understand their pain. Honestly, I got a little teary-eyed writing it ha. Btw, I really didn't mean to make Selena a little bitchy in this. So....yeah.**

**Review? =)**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So... usually writers love it when their readers don't expect what's gonna happen next... But I gotta say, I'm really hoping you guys saw this coming. One reason is cause if you thought I was gonna take the story in another direction, and you only read it because of that... I don't want you to stop reading. Because there will be NILEY.**

**Btw, I wrote part of this while listening to One Man Drinking Games - Mayday Parade. If you haven't heard it, I suggest you listen to it. Very good & very sad. And it will greatly touch on Nick's pain in this chapter. **

**Kay... I'm gonna stop talking :)**

**Enjoy... **

* * *

Nick stared off into his dark room, his head sagging from side to side, up and down. Maybe he had taken one too many sips of this bottle of wine he'd found in his parents secret—or not so secret anymore—alcohol cabinet. His parents weren't heavy drinkers, at all, but they did enjoy the occasional glass of wine... This is how Nick first discovered their cabinet. He doubted they were actually trying to hide it, but just keep it out of reach from Frankie. They overlooked the fact that Nick was older, taller, and suffering from a broken heart. A little alcohol seemed to do the trick with numbing the pain.

He took another swig, letting some run down his chin. Reality was soon taking on the form of a dream as the alcohol worked its way into his brain. The room wasn't exactly spinning, but he couldn't seem to get it to hold still. "Stop," he hiccupped. No good.

Nick gripped onto his bed, as if trying to hold himself down. Yeah, too many sips. He set the bottle down, stared at it for a few seconds, and then picked it up again. A few more wouldn't hurt.

He swung his head back, letting the bitter liquid coat his throat. It was only half empty when he threw it down, choking on a few drops. He pounded against his chest, spitting it back up. Letting it dribble down his chin, he laughed. Nothing was funny actually, but the laughter kept the tears away, so he welcomed it.

Oh, if only Miley could see him now.... What a catch.

"You're s'posed t-to love me, Miiiiiiley," He slurred at his wall. "I-I'm your Prince Charming. Not the—" He hiccuped. "—kangaroo."

His eyes closed for a moment. No amount of alcohol could take away the pain. This was too much. "Fuck it," he hissed. Why was he so caught up in it? Selena was much better. She was gorgeous, smart, classy... As opposed to Miley who was.... who was...

Drop-dead sexy, witty, and had her own standards of etiquette...

No. No. He wasn't having it. He wasn't.

"This has got to end," he whispered.

Calming himself down long enough to get his focus back, he got up and made his way to his desk. "Ow... damn it," he hissed, not realizing how close his desk actually was to him until running into it. He rubbed his foot for a second before opening his desk drawer and picking up an old, crusty looking picture. He held it to the moonlight for a better look.

It was taken June 11, 2006. The day Nick first realized what it was like to feel in love. This picture had never been seen by the public eye. It was of him and Miley, staring at each other with sloppy, love-struck grins plastered on their faces. Nick's hand was reaching toward her for a hand shake, but Miley's body language was suggesting otherwise. It was only seconds after the picture was snapped that Miley had told him she didn't do the whole "handshake thing" and threw her arms over his shoulders. (Nick, of course, knew that was lie and that she just wanted to touch him—or at least that's what his ego told him).

Nick stared at this picture, taking a rocky trip down memory lane. Every fight... Every "I love you"... Every kiss.... Every touch... It all replayed in his mind like a really bad movie.

He reached down and grabbed onto his wine bottle before stealing silently out of his room, towards the stairs, through the kitchen—taking something off the counter—and running out of the kitchen door.

It was a good mile to where he wanted to go. He had to run fast if he didn't want to run into slimy paparazzi that might lurk their neighborhood at 2 A.M. It seemed ridiculous, but he wasn't taking any chances—especially with a half empty wine bottle in his hand. The paps would have a hay-day with that.

His eyes shot towards the direction of Miley' house—an automatic reaction they had whenever he left his house. He was at an angle that allowed him to see onto her balcony and the doors that led inside her room. The doors were closed, but through the curtains he could see that her light was still on. _Probably talking to Liam_, Nick thought bitterly. He shook his head and looked in the other direction, the direction he needed to go. "Nothing more exciting than a 2 A.M. one mile run," he sighed.

With one glance back at Miley's room, he stole swiftly, but quietly to his destination.

* * *

"God dammit..." He heaved as he skidded to a stop in front of a glassy looking lake. He didn't remember it being that long to get here. "Jeez..." He wheezed, trying to catch his breath. He looked up at the moon and took in a huge gasp of air. He took in another breath and stared back at the lake, trying to calm his heart back down. He bit his lip and cringed at the image in front of him. Deceiving. The moonlight exploded against the water making it look more like a dreamer's paradise rather than a lover's hell.

And that's exactly what this place was to Nick. Hell.

A memory-filled lagoon.

This was Nick and Miley's get away. They would always sneak here after dark when they were younger, just to be able to love each other without the eyes of everyone criticizing their every move. This place was once considered a "safety zone" in their relationship. Now, it was nothing more than the death of it.

"It's time to end this... Here's my closure Miley..." He whispered harshly at the water.

He sat at the water's edge and slapped the water angrily with his hand. It broke the serenity of the lake, of their memories. He smiled, pleased.

He pulled the picture of them from his pajama pocket, along with a pack of matches. He placed them in the dirt and stared at them for a moment before taking a gulp of the wine. "Down one for every memory we shared," he took another gulp.

He slapped the water, breaking its peace once more.

"Here's two for every 'I Love You' ever exchanged," he took another swig.

He kicked the water.

"Here's three for all the shit you put me through..." He almost choked on this gulp.

He spit in the water with disgust.

"And here's four.... For... For..." He stared angrily at the sky, trying to think of what to say next so he could finish off his one man drinking game. He looked back at the picture and growled. "And here's four... For every plan we made together... Every hope and dream that will never be..." He finished off the wine.

Then he picked up the picture and the pack of matches from the dirt, staring reluctantly at them both. With a heavy sigh, he struck the match and set the picture on fire. "..._Because before too long, you'll be nothing more than a memory._"

Nick set the picture back down in the dirt and watched as the flames devoured its way down the weathered material. It was the final nail in the coffin of their relationship. The sun would be up in a few hours and Nick would be Selena's. That's the way it was meant to be.

**That's the way it was going to be.**

Nick picked up the remains of the charred memory once the fire had extinguished, and threw it at the lake. It only took a few seconds for it to sink down into the water. Not exactly "Bottom of the Ocean" but close enough.

"Goodbye Miley," Nick whispered. "My sweet memory."

He turned his back on the lake, and with long, swift strides, he made his way back to his house. He was ready for the new day to come.

And as his feet pounded into the pavement, his heart realized the meaning what he'd done. Never before had it come to such a final decision. Niley was always there... There was always that slight chance that they'd be together again. There was always that small ounce of faith.

But no more.

Niley was over.

**_For good. _**

* * *

Nick groaned when the sunlight started peeking through his curtain and into his eyes. His whole body was aching for some reason and he just didn't want to get up. He wanted to go back to that nice dream he was having about his future wife. Just five more minutes.... That's all he needed. Just five more—

"Nick!" He heard a voice call outside his room. ....Minutes. He sighed and pulled the pillow over his head. "Nick! Wake up!" He heard again. _No_, Nick wanted to say, but he was too tired to even move his lips. "C'mon we gotta go!" Was that Joe talking? His voice seemed...higher?

Nick groaned and turned over. Go where?

His door flew open, slamming against his wall, causing Nick to jump slightly. He heard a shuffle of feet make their way towards his bed in a sort of hurry. "I swear if you make us late..." An angry Joe growled.

_Make us late where?_ Nick thought groggily.

"The fundraiser starts soon and you haven't even showered yet. My gosh... What is that smell? Is that you? Ugh, gross," Joe complained as he threw open Nick's curtains, letting the light wash into Nick's room and his face.

Nick threw his covers back to glare at Joe and—wait. Joe looked...different. But...the same? Did he get another hair cut? He looked...smaller? "What are you looking at? Get ready," Joe ordered, making his way out of Nick's room.

Fundraiser? Nick didn't remember scheduling any fundraiser today. And what was that in his face... Was that his hair? Was it seriously time for another haircut? Nick moved around a little in his bed then froze. Didn't he go to bed shirtless? Who put this shirt on him? He pulled the shirt off his body, and gasped. Where were his muscles?! What was this?!

He jump out of bed, and ran all the way towards his bathroom. "Nick, hurry up!" He heard Kevin call from downstairs. Nick wanted to shout back, but something told him not to. He barged into the bathroom, turned on the light, and took in a full view of himself in front of the mirror....

"AHHHHHH!!!!!!" Nick shouted, his high voice squeaking.

_What the hell?!_ He was... he was...

"AHHHH!!!" Nick shouted again, not believing what he was seeing.

He had bushy, curly hair... No muscle... And he had to be at least an entire foot shorter...

"AH!!!" Nick squeaked again.

Joe and Kevin ran into the bathroom, wide-eyed and out of breath. "What! What's wrong?!"

Nick yelled again. Kevin's hair was straight! And Nick was right earlier... Joe was different. They were all younger!

"I'm thirteen!" Nick cried.

Kevin frowned before flinging his arms out to swat Nick in the back of the head. "Get ready you idiot. We're going to be late."

Joe looked at Nick, worried. "Nick, are you okay?"

Nick ignored Joe, and departed from the bathroom in search for his mother. He ran down the stairs, and half way down he realized, this wasn't their house. Well... It was... Or it had been. This was their old house....

"Mom!" Nick shouted in a panic.

Denise Gray appeared at the bottom of the stairs, worry all over her face. "What's wrong, Nick? Why aren't you ready yet?"

Nick wanted to be able to phrase his words without sounding like a total nutcase. But he couldn't grab a hold of his nerves long enough before shouting, "I'm thirteen!"

Denise's face went from worry to confused. "Yes... And?"

Nick shook his head, frantically. Why was she so calm about this? Didn't she realize that this was _not_ normal! "I'm not supposed to be thirteen! I'm seventeen! I'm seventeen years old!"

"Nick, are you feeling well? You look a little pale."

Nick slammed his hand down in frustration.

Denise frowned. "Now Nick, no need to get upset. Go get ready. We're going to be late."

Nick sighed, angry and confused. "You guys keep saying that! Late for what?!"

"Don't tell me you forgot. _The_ _Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Fundraiser._"

Nick's heart stopped. No… That's impossible. "What?"

Now Denise was starting to get kind of pissed. "Nicholas, I still need to get Frankie ready. Now stop doing….whatever you're doing and go get ready. Now."

No matter what age he was, Nick would never disrespect his mother. "I'm sorry… But—just… I don't- I…"

"What, Nick?"

He looked around his house in a sort of daze… This wasn't real… "What's the uhm…. What's the, you know…" He took a deep breath, "…date?"

"June 11, 2006."

Nick's knees went week, and his legs gave out from under him. He sat on the staircase, gripping the rail with every ounce of strength he had in him. This was a dream. It had to be… This couldn't happen… It was impossible…

"My God," he whispered.

Did life just seriously hand him a re-do?

* * *

**REMEMBER! _NILEY_ story. **

**Review? =)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Uhh... I don't remember that last time that I updated, but it's felt like it's been too long.**

**So here you are! :D I didn't proofread, but even if I had there was bound to be mistakes haha.**

**_TRY_ to enjoy... ;)**

* * *

I don't suppose I shouldn't be grateful for this. If life was seriously handing me a do-over, who was I to protest? The idea of it really... It was ridiculous. I couldn't really blame my family too much for thinking I'd lost it. In fact, part of me—the reasonable part—was still convinced that I was lying back in my room, on my nice comfortable bed, dreaming this, snoozing down the hours until one of my brothers would interrupt my sleep with something completely obnoxious.

But the other part—the lovesick park—couldn't deny what was going on. Somehow, someway, I was given a re-do. I was given a chance to make everything right with her. I know we both had screwed up so badly, any chance for us getting back together was shot. There was no chance. We had broken each other too much, it just seemed downright cruel that we got back together. It would never be the same…

It was like taking my favorite guitar and smashing it to pieces. I could do one of two things: I could try to fix it or I could just replace it. Fixing it would be harsh, but not impossible, I'm sure. It would take effort and patience, and then I suppose it would be usable again. But even I would know myself that it would never be the same. The thought that any damage was even brought onto it in the first place would haunt the corners of my mind. Because not only had my guitar become somewhat worthless with the damage and restoration, but it would never feel right to hold it again. In a way, it wouldn't be the same guitar it once was.

Then I could just replace it. It would be pricey, but I could manage it. I could buy the finest out there, perhaps finer than my old one. Seems smarter, right?

No.

Because there is a connection between a musician and their most prized instrument. The love and care placed into that first guitar would feel almost wasted if I just ended replacing it. Sure, I would have a more attractive looking guitar, probably one that would play better too. But that really wouldn't matter to me. It would just show me that I could replace anything if I break the first one. I certainly had the money to do so. I would lessen my care for my instruments and replace them when the time seemed fit.

And that's exactly what I had done. I lessened my care for what I had in the first place so I thought I could just replace it for something better. I damaged her. I thought I could fix her. I ended up just trying to replace her.

So in a way… It would make since that I deserved another shot, right?

Let's hope.

"Joe—" I jumped at the sound of my own voice. Now way in hell was I going to get used to that. "—where are we going?"

Joe looked down at me, and for some reason it gave me the creeps. He looked so young. In fact, I'm pretty sure he was younger than my age… My real age, not this weird fantasy age. "I'm just kinda going with the crowd, really. I'm not exactly sure where we're supposed to go." He gave me a small smile before turning to look ahead of him.

I couldn't keep my eyes off him. It wasn't so much his returned youth that had me interested anymore, but the look he held in his eyes. From what I could remember when I was thirteen Joe always had a sort of mischievous gleam in his eyes. I was always scared of going out into public with him, always anticipating the kind of embarrassment he would shower me with. It was always inevitable.

But now he looked different. His eyes were tense as if he were expecting a sort of attack, some sort of blow. Every now and then he would flicker his eyes him my direction, so I found it to be less strange diverting my eyes in another direction rather than giving him the impression that I was some creeper brother.

I suppose I did know the reason for his behavior. He was waiting. Well, he wouldn't be disappointed. It would happen, just as I told him.

I looked around at the many people around me. Some were faces I knew, others I had never seen before. I caught sight of a shaggy haired boy talking animatedly with who appeared to be his girlfriend. He let out a loud laugh at something she must've said that he found funny. "Oh!" I murmured to myself. "Zac!"

I was about to run over to greet him when I remembered something: I wasn't famous. I knew them, but they had no clue who I was. I would not only embarrass myself to bits, but most likely lose the chance of having this guy introduce me to Miley. So instead of running over there, I started walking casually in their direction acting as if I were interested in something beyond them.

That is until someone grabbed my wrist and jerked me back in a rather unpleasant, sharp manner.

"What do you think you're doing," Kevin hissed.

"Okay I think you just snapped my wrist," I said, rubbing my wrist.

"You can't just wander off. Mom left me in charge. You follow me, got it?" He growled, completely ignoring my now throbbing wrist.

"Oh, piss off," I responded.

Exactly the right words to say…. If I wanted to get killed.

Any other day that might've worked—when I was seventeen. But now I wasn't seventeen… I was thirteen and quite small. With no muscle and my over-grown hair continuing to block my vision, I really didn't stand a chance against either of my brothers.

Kevin's hand shot out before I could even react, grabbed a fistful of my shirt and pulled me closer to him. Joe made a move to stop him, but seemed to have thought better of it, and stepped aside, whispering, "Not now, Kev. We've got company."

I shot Joe the dirtiest look I could—not _now_? Then some other time I suppose?—and looked up to see Zac and Vanessa making their way to us. Joe kept his face indifferent as Kevin let go of my shirt. I smoothed out the wrinkles, scowling at both my brothers. I don't remember them ever treating me like this. I was about to say something but I was interrupted by Zac's over-friendly, "Sup, bros?"

Vanessa smiled at all of us, her eyes landing down on me. She stared at me for a few seconds before looking back and forth between me and my brothers. Yup, she caught it. And in exactly three seconds Zac would voice it… Three….Two….One—

"Whoa!" He laughed, looking at us just as Vanessa was. "Why is it that you have such curly hair, when your bothers don't?"

Yup, saw that coming.

"An eighth wonder of the world, I suppose," I replied coolly, my eyes narrowing. One thing I could never stand was every one singling me out as the odd Gray Brother because of my curly hair. Joe was the one with the true straight hair, the true odd one. Kevin was just the gay one who decided it was cool to straighten it.

All of them looked at me with round eyes, obviously surprised at my rudeness.

"Err… I suppose," Zac agreed. He turned back to my brothers, looking taken back. "Well V and I better get back to the fundraiser. Nice meeting you guys." He was sure to keep his eyes on my brothers only as he said this.

Kevin's mouth gaped a little. Joe's blank face took on a shade of relief. His eyes flickered in my direction, the corners of his mouth curling. I could almost read the taunts and insults that were running through his head.

He grabbed Vanessa's hand and started leading her away.

Oh hell. No. That was supposed to be it. It was last time. Last time he led me straight to Miley. Why wasn't he this time?

I could've slapped myself. '_Cause last time you weren't rude to him, idiot_ I snarled inside my head.

I was about to reach out and apologize, but Vanessa shook her head and stared at me. "Nick, right?"

"Err…yeah," I replied nervously.

She looked at my hair and smiled. "I like your hair. How old are you?"

Zac frowned.

"Th-thanks," I responded. "Thirteen."

She continued to stare at me, a smile playing on her lips. Every few seconds, Zac would softly tug on her hand, showing his displeasure of standing there. Vanessa ignored him. She quickly grabbed my hand and said, "Come one. There's someone I want you to meet."

"O-okay," I grunted as she pulled me harder through the crowd. I turned to see if my brothers were following. Joe was right behind me, his eyes wide and his face shockingly pale. I could just see what was going through his mind: _He was right_.

"Miley?" He mouthed to me.

I nodded.

I had a fit of hysterics on the car ride here, explaining to my family how I wasn't supposed to be here and that I was actually seventeen from the future. After much convincing to my parents that I didn't need to go to a psych ward, Joe let me explain everything about my life and Miley and how I would meet her here today by Zac (Technically, Vanessa now but my point was being made, nevertheless). At the time his mouth was slightly turned down and his eyes looked unbelieving, but now looking at his pale face, I knew he believed me.

"Nick," Vanessa stopped, slightly out of breath, "This is who I wanted you to meet."

I didn't turn around. My eyes were still locked with Joe's. He looked up at the girl that was standing right behind me. His face started to contort into twenty different emotions. Yup, now he knows that I was telling the truth. The look of horror and confusion upon his face was enough to satisfy me. Call me psycho now, Joe.

Smiling to myself, feeling pleased and slightly smug, I felt it was safe to turn around. To embrace the thirteen year old version of my true love. And I assure you, this time I would be ready. I would make the first move. Instead of holding out my hand, I would hold out my arms and feel her close to me again. I would laugh as she would tell me how she hated my shirt, and it feel like falling in love all over again. It _was_ falling in love all over again.

I turned around.

"Hi, Mi—Selena?"

"_Your_ Selena?" She giggled.

Her eyes were wide and amused. Certainly not the blue I had been expecting—or was it green? Hazel?—but a beautiful chocolate. Her lips were curled in a sort of pleasured smile. She was pleased to see me. My heart gave a jolt. The way she was staring at me….

My heart clenched in my chest and I suddenly couldn't breathe. "Uhm… No… What I meant to say was… er… you… I mean… I just… You… You're… You're so pretty." The words came out in such a rush, I couldn't stop them. I felt my cheeks burn.

She laughed out. My heart leaped. The sound of beauty…

"Thank you," she laughed.

I held out my hand for her to shake and I felt her soft palm clasp to mine. In that second, it felt like everyone disappeared. A heat shot up my body and a chill down my spine as she continued to stare at me. My heart quickened in my chest, and I could even hear her breathing quicken too. This felt so… right. I never wanted to let go.

Whatever I was thinking before this—I honestly don't remember—didn't matter to me. Joe's nervous coughs and Kevin's chuckles sounded like they were hundreds of miles away…

All that mattered to me right now was this girl in front of me.

All that mattered was Selena.

* * *

**Was that painful for you to read? Try having to write it haha.**

**Something you should really pay attention to is Nick's reaction to meeting Selena. Rather that falling in love with her (ugh...) can anyone maybe tell me what else happened with him? Anyone catch it? It's in there twice ;) You'll most likely hate me for it haha.**

**Well, in case you didn't notice (it would be hard to miss though) I started writing through Nick's POV. I'm sorry if you don't like it like this, but I had already planned it like this so I'm not changing back. I'll ALWAYS be writing through Nick's perspective and when Miley comes into play (wink wink) I'll most likely write through her perspective as well. Only those two though. No one else. ****Oh, and I'm not gonna have a play by play through every day of Nick's younger years lol. I'll be skipping through out. Like next chapter, he'll be fourteen and- Well you'll see. (hint hint, I have next chapter fresh and ready, all it takes is a press on that ****button to get it ;) No pressure haha)**

**And please remember... _NILEY NILEY NILEY STORY!_ Haha just trying to make that clear. **

**REVIEW? :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Well last chapter actually got more reviews than I had really been expecting so, like I promised, here's the next chapter. And thank you babygirl423 for being the ONLY one to find the hint. But thanks to anyone else who tried :)**

**Could I ask a quick favor of y'all? Hopefully it's not too much to ask. Mind checking out my newest one-shot Under This Californian Night Sky and maybe reviewing it? I'd seriously appreciate it :)**

**Now, without further ado...**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

Sleep.

No fourteen year old should be this deprived of sleep. What with our band playing small venues and Disney having us rush on our second album, sleep seemed nothing more than a dream... Ironically enough.

I yawned, stretching my arms out, moaning as a few of my joints popped into place. That felt good.

"Tired?" Joe chuckled as he relaxed on the armchair next to me. "I'm with you, bro. I could use a few good days of catching up on some Z's."

"Hmm," I hummed, rubbing my eyes. "Don't tempt me."

Joe smiled, leaning his head on the back of his chair. "Kevin's out—" He closed his eyes "—and won't be back until tonight. Know what that means?"

I threw my body down on the couch and sighed as it formed comfortably into the cushion. "Sleep," I moaned longingly.

He popped on eye open half way. "I won't tell if you won't."

"It'll be our dirty little secret," I mumbled into the couch cushion, halfway asleep.

I closed my eyes and before I knew it, reality disappeared...

_She grabbed me by the shirt and slammed me against the seat. Her blue eyes pierced right through mine. "You're a little liar..."_

_I gasped. When did she get so strong? "I can explain..."_

_She climbed onto of me, straddling me between her legs. "You crossed the line. It's my turn," she purred in my ear._

_My body went weak. Oh God... "You have a b-boyfriend..."_

_She put her face in the crook of my neck, letting her lips linger on my skin. "So? What he doesn't know won't hurt him... Secrets, Nick. You're good at those."_

_My heart started pounding against my chest. Was she serious? I placed my hand on her hips and gasped. I tried, but just couldn't seem to get enough air... "I don't understand..."_

_"Do you want me, Nick?"_

_"I..." _

_"It's a yes or no question."_

_"Y-yes..." I breathed out._

_She started to unbutton my shirt. Soon she was pushing it off my body, and rubbing her hands against my chest. "How bad?"_

_"So bad..."_

_Her mouth covered my chest with kisses. My breathing was so shallow, it was downright embarrassing._

_"Well," she whispered in my ear, "make your move."_

_Without any hesitation, I grabbed her face and kissed her with as much passion as I could muster. I slipped my tongue in her mouth and she groaned. Our bodies pressed hard against each other. Acting on instinct, one of my hands found its way towards her leg. I slid it up her dress, feeling pleased when I heard her gasp a little..._

"Wake up!"

I jumped up, gasping. Sweat was running down my neck onto my chest, causing my shirt to cling to me. I looked around to get my bearings and found both Joe and Kevin looking down at me with wide eyes. Kevin looked at me with an amused and slightly disgusted expression, as if he saw everything that had gone on in my head. Joe looked as if he too had been exposed to my dirty dream. His eyes were not amused though, but panic stricken. He looked sick.

"All right, Nick?" Kevin asked, trying his best not to smile.

"Of course," I said, my voice kind of shaken.

"You were moaning in your sleep," he explained. "You might want to check your pants. Selena, I'm guessing?"

I just stared at him.

Kevin barked out a laugh. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Nick. And don't let Selena know." He winked.

"Is there a reason you interrupted our nap, Kevin?" Joe asked bitterly.

Kevin looked at him, exasperated. "Of course! And why were you two sleeping anyways? We have work to do!"

"Don't we always," Joe growled through his teeth.

Kevin acted as if he hadn't heard him. "Well, DC suits called earlier and made us an awesome offer."

Fantastic. More work. "And that would be?" I asked.

Kevin grinned. "A movie." He smiled wider, waiting for us to have the same reaction as him, no doubt.

"No."

I almost laughed.

Kevin turned to Joe, his eyes bulging as he mouthed silent curses at him.

"What?"

Joe rolled his eyes and groaned. "C'mon Kevin, we're tired! And we're not even actors! We're _musicians_."

"I think this ought to be a group decision," Kevin glared. He turned to me. "Nick, what do you say?"

"No."

This time I did laugh. His expression was priceless.

"Why not?" He whined.

"Like Joe said, we are musicians. I don't want to act."

"But the movie is about music! We play musicians in the movie! So technically, it's not like we're even acting."

Joe rolled his eyes. "What do mom and dad have to say about this?"

"They're obviously for it," I answered for Kevin.

Kevin smiled and nodded.

Joe pinched the bridge of his nose. "We'll sleep on it."

Kevin frowned. "But we have—"

"Don't say it," I warned him.

"—work to do," he said, ignoring me.

Joe's eyes widened in annoyance and anger, his lip curled with frustration. Kevin leaned back a little at his fierce expression.

"Warned you," I muttered under my breath.

Joe leaped from his chair, almost at Kevin, but restrained himself. "You do it, Kevin! I am tired! I want to _sleep_! Do you understand that? Sleeeep. Lay off!"

I snorted, raising from the couch and walking toward the stairs. I'm sure it would be safer in my room anyway. I'd just let them duke it out on their own. One of them was bound to kill the other sooner or later. Joe was angry, but I was putting my money on Kevin.

I laid back on my bed, sighing as I felt my body relax. Maybe I could get just a few more minutes of sleep…

I closed my eyes… and for a second I saw those blue eyes staring right at me. They were gorgeous.

I shot up. No no no no no. It was one thing having a dirty dream—I'm a teenager, sue me—but having a dirty dream about a girl who wasn't my girlfriend was a completely other thing.

"Who are you?" I whispered out loud, as if she would answer me back.

The dream had been obscured by haze—like trying to see something through thick layers of fog—but her eyes weren't. They were all I could truly see; they were piercing. Whether it was my own grogginess that kept the vision fuzzy, I wasn't sure… But the pang I felt in my chest as I deeply regretted that vagueness was something that disgusted me. I wanted to see her form as it climbed over mine… I wanted to be able to touch her soft skin with my own… I wanted to feel her tongue penetrate my mouth with a sort of dominance, as if she were the one in control…. I wanted to let her seduce me, to let her think she had the driver's seat when we both would secretly know I had her at my command… She would seduce me, and I would easily oblige, because I wanted her. Deep down I wanted this girl more than anything I had ever wanted in my life…

I had to take a deep breath, and let my emotions simmer down.

And just as quickly as my urges took over, so did my disgust.

What was I thinking? I had a girlfriend. I had a girlfriend who loved me, who I loved… I wasn't a cheater, mentally or physically. And this dream girl was nothing more than a figment of my imagination. The dirtyact was nothing more than my brain thinking with…err…_other parts_…of my body.

I shuddered.

Well… it was just a dream.

I closed my eyes again, and this time I changed the eyes from blue to brown. Ah, that's better.

"Knock, knock," a voice said from my door.

I couldn't resist my smile, though it was slightly strained. "Maybe I have super powers…" I felt the bed weigh down as she sat next to me. "All I have to do is think of something and it appears."

"Were you thinking of me?" She whispered. I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Perhaps," I smirked.

I heard a faint whisper of her laugh as she rested her head on my chest. "Joe has Kevin in a headlock. Why?"

I sighed. Damn. I lost. "Kevin is trying to get us to sign for a Disney movie."

Her head shot up from my chest and I finally opened my eyes to look at her. "That's great!"

I shook my head. "No…"

"You don't want to do it?"

"Not really."

She lifted her whole body off my chest and frowned at me. "But… It would be fun. Acting is—"

"Your thing," I interrupted. "Not mine."

She shook her head. "That's not true. You were on my show... You liked that, didn't you?"

I shrugged. "I suppose. But we played ourselves. It's not exactly hard for me to play Nick Gray. And the episode hasn't even aired yet, so it's not like we know how the fans are going to like our acting. I just rather play it safe."

She nodded her head. Playing it safe was her kind of thing. Not too long ago she was asked by Disney to sing a song for a movie or something like that. They had barely gotten through the whole offer before she turned it down. She wasn't a singer, she said. She didn't want to be.

"I still think you should do it."

"Of course you do," I smirked.

"At least think about it," she pleaded.

Well… I suppose it could be fun. It would maybe give us a chance to expand our fan base. Maybe even meet new people. "Alright."

* * *

**(That night)**

"Nick, I really must go," she giggled as I pulled her from the door.

"Just one more kiss," I murmured, swooping down to kiss her. I felt her smile into it, releasing the door-handle, tangling her fingers in my hair. "Mmm," I moaned.

"Ahem."

"Go away," I mumbled before leaning back down to kiss her.

She giggled and pulled away. "I really have to go, Nick. But I'll see you tomorrow." She winked, and I suddenly couldn't wait for tomorrow.

"Alright," I sighed, resigned.

She peered around me and waved. "Bye Kevin, Joe."

Joe nodded in her direction before stalking off while Kevin smiled and waved. "Bye Selena."

She winked at me one more time, and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

"So Nick, give any more thought about the movie?" Kevin asked, sitting down on the couch.

I sat next to him. "Uhm… I know I'm going to regret it, but yeah. Yeah let's go for it. I think it would be… fun," my voice strained on that last word.

Joe walked out of the kitchen, half a sandwich stuffed in his mouth, and sat on the armchair. He glared at both me and Kevin as he swallowed what was in his mouth. "Traitor," he snapped at me. He took another bite of his sandwich, but in pure anger, tearing it, causing half of it to fall in his lap.

Yeah, that's right Joe. You show that sandwich who's boss.

Kevin scrunched his nose. "You're such a slob."

Joe looked up at Kevin and stuffed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth. It was still too big to fit in his whole mouth, so most of it was hanging from his lips. He opened his mouth as he chewed, showing us all the contents. That sandwich had looked so good too… "That's… disgusting," I said, turning my face away.

"So anyway," Kevin started, still eyeing Joe, "I think I'll have dad call the executives tomorrow to get the deal signed. I'm pretty sure shooting starts end-July maybe beginning of August. So that still gives us plenty of time to finish our album. And I can tell I've been pushing you two too hard so I'll have dad cancel any upcoming shows just so we won't have to rush recording. Sound good?"

Joe swallowed his sandwich without really even chewing it too much—seriously, where does he put it?—and gaped at Kevin in amazement. It was like he had never seen Kevin until now. "New favorite brother," he stated.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Oh chill out. It's not like you were the favorite in the first place. It was Frankie."

I turned to Kevin, but not before giving Joe a very rude hand gesture. "Hey!" He shot at me.

Kevin chuckled. "So Nick—" Uh-oh "—tell us about this dream you had."

And suddenly I felt both of their eyes burning holes into my head. Joe fidgeted in his chair a little and cleared his throat in a nervous manner. Kevin just smiled, waiting for me to explain my erotic dream.

I looked at Joe. He looked away. What was his problem?

"Uhm…" I hesitated. "It was just a dream."

"Thank you, master of the obvious," Kevin sneered. "What I want to know about is that x-rated movie that was going on in your head."

"That's just a little sick, don't you agree, Kevin?" Joe butted in.

Shut up, Joe, just shut up.

"Indeed, Joe," Kevin nodded.

"How do you guys even know what I was dreaming?" I shot back lamely. Their facial expressions changed from amusement to pure enjoyment. I'm gonna regret asking that….

_"Ugh… yes, oh yes,"_ Kevin imitated me.

_"Don't stop,"_ Joe panted, _"Oh oh God… yes."_

I closed my eyes. The neighbors had a pool… Drowning myself wouldn't take too long…

"C'mon, Nick. We've all had those dreams at one point or another," Kevin said in a lame attempt to cheer me up. The laughing may have been what ruined it… No a pool definitely wasn't fast enough.

"Yeah…" I sighed, "I guess." What I really wanted was to ask if it was with someone who wasn't their girlfriend… But I couldn't imagine the kind of torment they'd fire off with that fact nor would I ever be able to allow Selena back into the house. Kevin could be cruel and I wouldn't put it past Joe to have a bad case of "loose lips".

Kevin gave out one last chuckle before patting my back. "Well, I'm tired. I'm going to hit the sack. Remember dad's calling tomorrow so—"

"Thank you Kevin," Joe said, waving him off.

Kevin glared then turned and made his up the stairs. Joe stood up. "I think I'm going to go call Taylor."

I smiled. "Getting pretty close with her, huh? You like her?"

Joe just smiled. He started walking towards the stairs, but stopped just at the foot of it. "It was her, wasn't it? In your dream, I mean," he whispered, turning to look at me.

I blinked at him. What…?

"It wasn't Selena." That wasn't a question.

"No," I mumbled, "it wasn't."

He stared at me, understanding. "You honestly don't remember, do you?"

I looked down at my hands. I knew what he was talking about. That day I met Selena… I don't remember anything prior to that. I remember going to bed the night before, but then everything after that, until the point I met Selena, was blank. Joe told me that I had a mass freak-out. The whole family told me that. They had just let it go, concluding that I must've just been dreaming. Joe, on the other hand, didn't let it go. He said I kept going on about some girl, explaining everything about her to him… But it's been a year since he's last brought it up.

"Should I remember?"

Joe looked down at his shoes and scuffed the floor. "I guess not. I just find it weird…"

I nodded, not really knowing what to say.

He turned and made his way up a few steps before stopping again. "Were her eyes blue?"

My whole body froze. How did he…? "Y-Yeah… Yeah, they were."

He stayed on the step, refusing to move. I could see his grip tighten on the railing, his knuckles turning white. He exhaled deeply through his nose. "Goodnight," he said stiffly.

I watched him walk up the stairs and listened until I heard him close his door. A feeling crept up my spine… A feeling that told me Joe knew something that I didn't.

I leaned back on the couch and sighed.

* * *

**This wan't exactly my favorite chapter because it's mostly a filler. Mostly. There are some things that are worth paying attention to that may appear in future chapters, but really other than that, I wouldn't make too much of a deal over it.**

**And you're probably wondering why I axed Nick's memory. Simple: It would completely defeat the purpose of a _TWIST_ in his story if he knew who Miley was. Nick met Selena first. Nick loves Selena first. Nick has no clue who Miley is. ****That is... until next chapter ;) (and you know what to do in order to get a faster chapter haha but once again... no pressure :).)**

**Right. Time to peace out. Love you guys! :)**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"How much longer, Demi?" Joe grumbled, his body posture giving signs that he was about to collapse any second. I guess it wasn't really helping that he was leaning against me. Sure, I guess he had the decency to carry most of his own body weight, but hey, why not? Let me do it you for you, Joe! That's what brothers are for, right?

Demi shot him a look that could make hell freeze over. It certainly sent a chill down my spine. "You volunteered to come."

Joe exhaled slowly through his teeth, throwing more of his body weight onto me. "Sure. And by 'volunteered' you totally mean forced, right? 'Cause then, yeah, I volunteered."

She glared, looking towards the gate. "Sorry, Joe, but I can't make the plane go any faster. Unless you can somehow contact the pilot and say, 'Hey, I'm Joe Gray, an internationally known super-_diva_—" Joe scowled at her. "—and I want you to speed it up, because I'm tired and I'm famous and freakin' impatient,' I honestly suggest you shut up and quit complaining. Got that, sweetheart?"

"Anything for you, _dear_," he sneered on the last word.

I sighed, half-amused, half-frustrated. It was three o'clock in the morning, and I'm sure Joe and Demi were both dead tired. They both had been working so hard on this stupid movie. Honestly, they didn't normally bicker like this. Actually, they never bickered like this. If anything, I'd say these two were neatly attached to the hip. Demi was a cool girl – girl version of Joe in every aspect. After like one day, she quickly became our little sister – older for me, technically, by like less than a month – and Joe's best friend.

I couldn't say I was as tired as either of them, but I had to wake up in two hours, so I felt a little of the same impatience that was literally radiating off of Joe. This girl's flight was supposed to be here two hours ago, but just as we arrived at the airport thinking we were late, turns out the plane got delayed. It wasn't the poor girl's fault, so my impatience wasn't exactly directed at her, but mostly at these two idiots who couldn't go five minutes without making snide remarks at each other. I mean, I'm not gonna say it wasn't amusing, but my irritation level could only go so high.

Joe tightened his grip he had around my shoulders, and began to slide down some. "Whoa, buddy," I said, pulling him up. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get frisky with me." I looked at Demi and smirked, whispering in his ear, "Leave that for Demi."

Demi grimaced at my joke, eyeing me with a glare. "Hilarious, Nick."

"Yeah, well, I try," I grunted, heaving Joe up into a somewhat proper position. His eye-lids were drooping over his eyes. If you asked me, I'd say he looked a little drunk. "Demi, I don't think he's going to last any longer. When's – er – your friend getting here?" I realized then that I didn't even know the girl's name. But just I was about to ask, a look of fury crossed Demi's face. I backtracked, thinking about what I might have said wrong, before understanding that it wasn't what I said but the way I said. She may have detected a little annoyance in my voice. _Hey, you try holding Joe's body weight,_ I thought defensively.

"I. Don't. Know. Nicholas." I flinched. Ouch. Full name territory.

"Sorry… Demetria," I added with a smile.

She stared at me for a few seconds before realizing she couldn't hold in her grin – even if it was half-hearted. "Sorry, it's just Joe—"

"Joe nothing," he snapped, lifting his head up. Oh, he's still awake? "Joe said nothing."

Demi turned on her heel, refusing to look at him. Joe pushed himself off of me – finally! – and sat down in one of the nearby chairs. She scrutinized him for only a second before he snapped again. "I'm not gonna fall asleep!"

Fat chance.

Demi and I both turned away from him. "I should've asked Kevin to come too," she whispered. I suddenly envisioned Kevin in a soft, comfy bed, snoring the night away, and I couldn't help but envy him.

"Joe's just tired," I assured her and defended my brother at the same time. "I'm sure he'll be back to normal by morning. However," I added, casting her a dark humorous look, "it's gonna be me you're gonna wanna watch out for. Because there will be hell to pay for keeping me up this late."

She smiled, wrapping her arm around my waist and leaning slightly into me. This weight I could handle. It was nothing. "I don't think I've ever seen you mad. What's there to expect? Besides the hell of course."

"Hmm," I hummed. "Ever see a lion attack a zebra before?"

"On the television, maybe," she laughed. "Why?"

"You're the zebra."

"And you're the lion?" She asked, biting her lip to keep from bursting out in giggles.

I snorted. "Please, honey, I make the lion look like a really cute kitty."

She couldn't help it. She busted up. Her body shook against me as her laughter got the best of her. She was receiving a few glares from other people around us who may have been trying to sleep while waiting for the plane to arrive. "Crazy person," I mouthed to them, faking stress and utter confusion as I tried to pull Demi together. They all looked away, and I laughed too.

"I'll keep that in mind," she gasped, breathless from her laughing.

Suddenly Joe was by my side, looking annoyed as ever. "Oh, look, you're back," I smiled at him.

"Yeah, well, it's hard to get just a little rest when you have this one here," he jabbed his thumb towards Demi, "screeching at the top of her longs."

Demi's hard look was back in an instant. "I was laughing."

"Oh, is that what you call it?" Joe asked, raising his eyebrows. "I thought someone was dying."

_"JOE!"_

"Look," I said, pointing towards to gate, where people were starting to trickle out of. "Plane's unloading."

"Finally," Joe and Demi whispered in unison.

And one by one people started running through the gate, some embracing loved ones who were waiting for them, others walking swiftly away with dead looks on their faces. Demi stood on her tippy-toes, craning her neck out, looking for her best friend.

Then I remembered something.

"Demi, what's this girl's name?"

She didn't answer me, but instead squealed in delight, causing both me and Joe to jump back.

Emerging from the doors was the girl Demi had been waiting for. She had long brown, wavy hair, pulled over on one side of her shoulder, and she was an inch or so taller than Demi. She didn't have the same reaction as Demi – and I could only guess, judging by the dead look on her face, it was because she was tired – but her step got suddenly lighter once Demi came into view. "Demi!" She called out, her voice hoarse. A wide smile spread across her face, but before I could see anything else, Demi was blocking my vision, engulfing this girl in a hug. "Can't. Breathe." I heard her gasp.

Joe nudged me, leaning his head towards her, indicating that we should go greet her. With a sigh, I stuffed my hands in my pockets and put on the best smile I could. I honestly didn't like meeting new people.

Joe led the way, surprisingly casual and eager for someone who was supposed to be tired, stopping just behind Demi. I paused faithfully at their sides, looking towards the ground.

"…and, oh my gosh, I can't wait for you to see the camp. Are you staying at a hotel? No, absolutely not. You're staying with me. There's a lake and everything and…" Yeah, I zoned her out.

After a few minutes, Joe gave a throaty chuckle, and whispered. "I'm sure the girl is tired, Demi. And I really don't think she's even paid attention to a single word you said. Besides, it's rude to keep us standing here and not introduce us." I almost looked up at Joe. Since when did he care about manners?

"Thanks," the girl faintly laughed.

"Right," Demi breathed. "Right, I forgot about you. Well, this is Joe Gray—"

"How do you do?" He asked. Suddenly I heard the sound of lips kissing skin, and I looked up just in time to her hand dropping to her side and Joe straightening up.

Oh. My. God. He was flirting with her!

"Er, right," Demi grumbled, obviously realizing it too. "And this is Nick Gray."

I suppressed a sigh. What choice did I have to but to say hello. I looked up to meet her eyes.

And then I blinked.

I looked at Demi... then at Joe... then back at the girl.

Her eyes were watching me carefully, probably hoping I wasn't as welcoming as Joe was. She reached out her hand to shake, frowning slightly at my delayed reaction. "Hello?"

Wow! What eyes! They were so blue! And so…_piercing_! How familiar… Where have I seen such eyes before…?

I nearly jumped back at the horror of it. It was her! It was my dream girl! That was… No… That was impossible. I have never met this girl before in my life. Never. It had to be a mere coincidence, right? I mean, I'm sure her mom or dad had the same eyes too. Doesn't mean either of them could have been the star of my dream. No… Plenty of people had eyes like her…

Ah, but it wasn't so much the eyes either. It was her voice too. How did I not recognize it? She had only seduced me with it in my dream.

But then again… that voice was far more mature than this girl's.

Right… it was impossible. Absolutely no way.

She dropped her hand, slightly hurt.

Then I realized how rude I was being. "Hello," I smiled, pulling her hand back and shaking it. I cringed at the touch, thinking of my dream again. She pulled it back, full on frowning at me.

Well... so much for first impressions.

I couldn't help but staring back at her eyes. They were just drawing me in.

She kept her gaze away from me, looking only at Demi.

Joe stared down at me, frowning too. I had to wonder what my expression must have looked like, but I'm sure he could tell how pale I must have gone. It honestly felt like all the blood had drained from my face, and it felt cold. When the girl did throw another glance at me, the blue of her eyes made my face feel like ice. I wanted to turn away, but I couldn't.

Then I had to check myself. Okay, if – and I seriously mean_ if_ – this girl was the one in my dream, did that mean I was attracted to her? I evaluated myself before fully deciding no, I wasn't. Sure, she was pretty, but as far as attraction went… well it wasn't that far. I had been attracted to the one in my dream, craving her almost. Yes, as disgusting as that sounds, that's how teenage boy hormones work. It was almost mad how much I was yearning for that girl. But staring at _this_ girl, I could confidently say that the physical attraction was down to zero. No, staring at this girl made me miss Selena. Like I said, this girl was pretty, beautiful really, but Selena to me was gorgeous and that's where the true attraction was for me.

The only thing I really couldn't turn away from was her eyes.

"Oh!" Demi's voice broke me from my thoughts. "Seriously, where are my manners tonight? Nick, Joe, I would like you to meet my best friend – Miley Stewart."

Joe froze at her name. This time he did a full body glance with his eyes, but I could tell he wasn't checking her out. He was… fitting the description. The description _I_ had supposedly given to him when I was thirteen… He landed on her eyes; his eyes bulged in response. He grabbed my arm and slightly pulled me back as if he was anticipating this girl to attack us. It was only a tiny tug, but she caught it.

She turned to Demi, her eyes squinting. Whether it was a glare or her own grogginess catching up with her, I couldn't tell. Maybe it was both. "Can we please go?"

Demi grabbed her hand and started pulling her away. "Sure, I have a driver waiting for us outside. You look tired."

The girl – I mean, Miley – threw me an apprehensive look before nodding at Demi. "Yes. Very tired."

"Then let's get you to camp. Boys?" Demi arched her eyebrows at me and Joe. Surely, we must have had stupid looks on our faces.

Joe was the first to react. "Uh… Yeah, tired. Me too. I'm sure Nick is too. We all are. We just need sleep. Lots and lots of sleep. Yeah, sleep sounds good," he rambled to himself, taking head of our group as he led the way out.

I lingered behind a little bit, digesting this… whatever it was. Sleep… Yeah, that's it. I was asleep. This wasn't real. This _was_ my dream girl, because this was a _dream_. It all made perfect sense now.

But still… The way she threw her head back to look at me was not at all the seductive look I had known in those eyes. It was fear… It was anger… It was hurt… It was disturbed, bothered...

It was real.

* * *

Miley's POV

"I really hope you don't mind sharing a bed with me. I mean it's big enough for the both of us, but if you want, I can have them bring in another," Demi muttered groggily as she slipped into her side of the bed.

"I don't care," I sighed, packing away the last of my clothes for my two week visit. "Just try not to kick. I kick back," I glared playfully at her.

She smiled, watching me heave my suitcase into the corner. No, it's cool Dem, I got it, don't bother to help. "I'm really glad you're here, Miley. This place is really fun. I think you're going to like it."

I fell on my side of the bed, loving the way my body formed to the mattress. I felt so stiff from those stupid airplane seats. Even if it was first class, nothing was worse than having to sleep on a plane. "I hope so. Are people nice around here?"

"Of course! They're the best. Especially the Gray brothers. I think you're just going to love them."

"Mmm, sure. But I don't think they like me very much." Really, I had no idea what I did. They seemed fine with me at first. I could've sworn Joe was even flirting with me. And the other one… well he just seemed shy. But once Demi introduced us, it was like I suddenly contained some disease. From what I heard around Disney, the Gray Brothers were like the sweetest guys anyone could meet. What the heck did I do to offend them, then?

Demi gritted her teeth. "Yeah, I noticed that, too. Honestly, Miley, I have no idea what was wrong with them. Joe was being an ass even before you showed up, but he seemed fine with you. I think he was even flirting… But Nick… I've never seen him act like that before. He was okay when we were waiting for you, and I know he hates to be meet new people, but, oh my God, I was about to drop-kick them both. They were just rude."

I shrugged. "Didn't come here to make friends, Dem. Came here to visit you. I don't care what those brothers think."

"I'm sure they were just tired, Miley," Demi assured me. Yeah, I know she wanted us to get along. I didn't want to ruin this visit for her by making enemies with her co-stars, but they were the ones who started it. It just seemed hardly fair, though. I did nothing. All I did was say hi, and suddenly they both avoided me like the plague. Even when we had gotten into the limo, they made a point to sit across from me at the furthest angle. Nick had gotten in first, so he was the closest to me. I could see him silently begging Joe to switch, but Joe didn't budge. That didn't really bother me too much. Joe and Demi fell asleep half way to the camp, and Nick seemed determined to stare at nothing but the window. His determination would slip up every once in awhile as I saw him shoot glances at me. At one point, I decided to just stare back at him to see what he would do. He had hesitated, but slowly turned his head to look at me. At first, I thought he was going to say something, but he must have decided against it. It was dark in the cab of the limo, but I could see the glare he had in his eyes as he stared at me. It was like somehow I was bringing doom upon them all.

That's when the strangest thing happened.

The limo had stopped at a red light right next to a street lamp. The street lamp was on the side Nick and I were on, so it only cast enough light into our side of the limo. It darkened the side Joe and Demi were on, so it really only looked like Nick and I were the only ones in the vehicle.

Our eyes had locked for a split second. Only a mere second... But it felt like hours. His whole body went stiff... I don't even think he was breathing. His face looked pale, but that easily could have been an effect from the street lamp. His head was at a weird angle from the light so it made the eye that wasn't in the light look black, and the one that was in the light look chocolate. But it was a weird sort of chocolate. Instead of the normal flat, blank brown you usually see, his eyes had coats of carmel in them. It gave them depth, emotion. They burned right into my eyes, making me catch my breath. The sight would have undoubtedly looked horrifying to anyone else. He looked mad, crazy.

But at the same time he looked beautiful. I wouldn't be able to explain it to anyone who asked me, but the sight left me breathless. His curls - black in the shadow of the light, brown where the light touched them - rested on his head, set like a crown. His eyes, black and brown, looked fixed. They made him look wiser than his youth. His body, frozen as it was, looked fit. Nothing amazing, but his posture made him look confident, yet careless. He looked strong, yet sensitive.

He looked... silly as it sounds... He looked like some story book prince.

Then the car moved out of the light, throwing us back into the night-soaked cab of the limo. He turned his body away from me and sighed.

"Are you all right?" I had whispered to him.

"Fine," he growled through clenched teeth. "Just tired."

And for the rest of the ride, he refused to look in my direction again.

I started grinding my teeth together as I let the scene play through my head again. "Sure, Demi. Whatever you say."

Soon I heard her breathing even out as she fell asleep. Closing my eyes, I pushed the anger away and drifted off.

* * *

**I'd be pissed too if I were Miley. They really know how to make her feel welcome. Haha. **

**Review? :)**


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Sorry for any mistakes. Didn't read over.**

* * *

_"We are wild, we are free, we are more than you think, so call us freaks… But that's just the way we roll,"_ I sang under my breath as I made my way toward the cabin that held the kitchen. I was pretty sure I was the only one awake in this entire camp, but that was okay. It felt peaceful. The sun was barely peering over the mountains and it gave the camp a sort of serene look to it. I made my movements swift and quiet, not wanting to disturb the laid-back sensation it was giving.

I opened the door quietly, flipping on the light, jumping slightly at the loud buzz noise that came with it. I froze for a second, having this ridiculous notion that that tiny buzz could wake up the entire camp. I seriously needed to calm down.

I stared around the kitchen as if willing my breakfast to make itself. After five minutes of standing there and realizing I didn't have super-powers, I made my way toward the pantry, pulling out a box of cereal without even looking at what I grabbed. Then I moved over to the refrigerator pulling out the milk, and- Well, you know the process.

Before sitting down to eat my breakfast, I stared out the window and let my mind wander over these past few days.

Day one I was able to avoid Miley completely thanks to shooting. I only saw her once or twice, and it seemed she had the same idea as me. She kept to Demi like a faithful friend and refused to talk or even look at me and Joe; her and Kevin hit it off though.

Day two was a little harder. I only had a few scenes I had to shoot that day and a whole lot of free time. She must have found watching the shooting to be very tedious because I would run into her throughout the camp a few times. It would be awkward. We'd freeze at the sight of each other but end up going our separate ways without so much as a word.

Day three, yesterday, was the first time we had interaction with each other – if that's what you could even call it. I had successfully gone the whole day avoiding her – though I think it was a two-sided effort – without seeing so much as a glance or hearing so much as a whisper of her. I was proud of myself. That was until dinnertime…

Most of the cast and crew had gone out to restaurants, and that left the mess hall almost completely empty. There was only a handful of people there. I don't even know how it happened really…

I had been texting Selena, making my way over to where Joe sat, and I wasn't paying attention. Selena had told me something witty and I was trying to come up with something just as witty but cute at the same time. I didn't even see her…

_I heard a sharp intake of breath at the same time that I heard something shattering on the floor. I realized my hands were empty and that my phone had flown out of my hand. I wasn't too worried about that though because suddenly I was falling to the ground and I felt a heavy blow into my stomach. I rolled off whatever it was, groaning. _

_"God dammit," someone whispered next to me. _

_I looked over to see _her_ lying on the floor next to me, rubbing her head. She was straightening out her leg and I realized what the blow to my stomach was; I landed on her folded knee. I groaned again, clutching my stomach._

_Her eyes snapped in my direction. A scowl covered her face and I heard her teeth snap together. "Watch where you're going next time," she hissed at me._

_I don't know what came over me then. It was just the way her eyes were penetrating mine with such anger, such intensity – it made _me_ angry. "Why don't you? I retorted back coldly._

_Her eyes flashed, and they weren't the ocean blue I had seen – they were ice. She opened her mouth to say something else but Demi and Joe quickly appeared at our sides._

_"Are you all right?" Demi asked with wide eyes. _

_Joe placed his hand on the girl's elbow to help her up, but she swatted it away. "Don't bother," she spat. "I'm fine!"_

_Joe's face went cold._

_"Uh, all right," Demi said quickly, helping her up. Joe grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up, but he was still glaring at the girl. She held his gaze evenly. "C'mon, Miles. Let's go get you some ice. It looked like you hit your head hard."_

_She was about to protest, but Demi gave her a hard look. She just nodded her head._

_"Nick," Demi said, turning to me._

_"I'm fine, Demi."_

_"Don't care," she said harshly. "I saw what happened. You ran into her. Apologize. Now."_

_My eyebrows rose._

_Demi glared._

_"Demi, I don't really care-" the girl tried to argue._

_"Shh!"_

_She crossed her arms and glared out the window._

_"I'm sorry," I said cuttingly._

_"Whatever."_

_"No let me finish."_

_She looked at me._

_"I'm sorry… that you don't have the common sense to walk out of someone's way when you see them coming straight at you." I looked down at my now broken phone. "Great. My phone's broken. Thanks a lot, Miley," I spat her name._

_It happened so fast I didn't have time to even react. All I knew is that one second I was staring at the girl, and the next, I felt a sharp sting on my cheek and I was facing the side. I looked back, my mouth hanging open, at a fuming Demi. Her hand was slightly raised, ready for another slap. Both Joe and the girl were staring at her in shock._

_"Demi," Joe said, incredulous._

_"Dems," the girl whispered, tugging at Demi's arm. "It's fine."_

_Demi relaxed at her friend's touch, but she still glared at me with hate. "Asshole," she growled at me. _

_"Demi, I-"_

_She turned away from me and stormed out the door. The girl watched her go, a sad look in her eyes. Then she turned to me, and I flinched at the pain in her eyes. "What did I do to you?" she whispered. _

_Joe was about to say something, but I stopped him. _

_She looked around the mess hall, and I suddenly realized that every eye in the room was looking at us. "Sorry guys - didn't mean to disturb your dinners." A low murmur when through the people that were there, but they all turned away._

_I looked back at her and was surprised to see that cold mask back on again. It was like she didn't even mean for me to see her emotions or that they hadn't been there in the first place. She stared at me one last time then made her way out the door. _

_Joe snorted. "Serves her right."_

_"How so?"_

_Joe looked at me, but didn't have an answer. _

_"Yeah," I whispered. "I don't know either."_

I was fully done with my cereal as the scene came to an end in my mind. I stared at the bowl, trying to come up with some justifications for my behavior towards her; I found none. The worst part was knowing that even Joe thought that our behavior was reasonable. I don't know… That just made me downright angry. He didn't have any reason to treat her like that. He wasn't the one who had the dream. He had absolutely no right to even think that what we dished out on her was something that served her right. Did he not see how hurt she was yesterday?

Well, I did; and I wasn't gonna let Joe continue it anymore, because neither was I. It was just wrong.

I got up and placed my bowl in the sink. Sighing, I leaned against the counter. What now?

As if answering my question, the door swung open. I heard a low hiss, and turned around to see _her_ standing there. Her eyes were narrowed and her lips were slightly parted in a disapproving grimace.

"Miley!" I exclaimed in surprise.

She jumped at the sound of her name, and for a split second her expression faltered. Only a second. She stayed where she was, eyeing me with dread, probably wondering whether to stand her ground or take off. I could hear her exhale a small sigh, and I knew she was going to stay where she was. She wasn't going to let me run her off again. Not that I even intended to.

"You're up early," I stated.

Her mouth mashed into a frown, obviously not liking the fact that I was talking to her. She stepped reluctantly into the room and slowly made her way towards the pantry. She pulled out a box of cereal and walked over toward the refrigerator to grab the milk. Since I was closest to the cabinet that kept the bowls, I pulled one out for her and held it out when she turned to get one. She eyed it with disgust, as if I were contaminating it, and brushed past me to get one of her own. I would have beem amused if I weren't so irritated. Couldn't she see I was trying to be nice?

"All right," I mumbled, putting the bowl away.

She advanced toward the table keeping her eyes away from me.

Now it was my turn to decide whether I should walk away or stay. I highly doubted she was even going to say one word to me if I did stay, but then it would most likely make it even worse if I walked away (if it were possible to make things worse). I could taste the tension in the air and I knew it would probably be stupid to stay. The smartest thing would be to just leave…

Well… maybe I didn't _want_ to be smart.

I strolled casually towards the table, and took a seat across from her. I caught the little eye roll she gave when I did so. Hmm.

"Sleep well?" I asked politely.

She grabbed the cereal box and placed it right between us, lowering her head so that I couldn't see the lower half of her face. She stared intently on the back, pretending to read whatever was on there.

"I didn't much," I continued as if I hadn't noticed a thing. "It was pretty windy last night. I think it's going to be a chilly day. You might want to wear a sweater if you're going to watch them shoot. I think they're shooting outside scenes today, but I'm not sure. Oh, whatever, just a warning. So having fun... with Demi?"I added that last part quickly. God knows what would have happened if I had stuck with my original question.

She munched on her cereal, ignoring me, staring at the cereal box.

I leaned back on my chair, sighing. "Pretty morning, isn't it? So quiet..."

"Why are you ruining it?" she muttered under her breath.

"Oh, so you do talk." I grinned.

She continued to stare at the box, ignoring me.

"Alright," I sighed. "If you're going to _pretend_ to read the back of the box just to ignore me, _at least_ try moving your eyes. It's far more convincing."

Her shoulders slumped a little, and I smiled to myself, knowing that was a sort of defeat for her. She pushed the box away from her, sighing, and stared down at her cereal.

"Miley," I started. Her body stiffened and she made a noise in the back of her throat, still not liking the fact that I was talking to her. Suck it up, princess. "I wanted to apologize for last night. My behavior was…inexcusable. My behavior since you've gotten here for that matter has been inexcusable. I could say I've been an ass, but I think that would just be an understatement. See... I have just been in a really bad mood lately and, I don't know, I guess I've just taken it out on you -" Lie. "- but yesterday, I just pushed it overboard. I'm really, truly, _sincerely_ sorry." I gave her a small smile.

She kept her eyes on her cereal.

"Miley?"

She frowned.

"Miley? Did you hear me?"

She flexed her jaw.

"Miley, I said I was sorry."

She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, _seriously_, I know you hear me!"

Her head snapped up. "Sorry, but you're obviously mistaking me for someone who actually gives a damn," she snarled.

I wrinkled my eyebrows. Okay, I should have known she wouldn't forgive me that easily. A guy can hope, right?

I let my eyes roam the kitchen, trying thinking hard of what to say next. I wasn't going to beg for her forgiveness. If she wanted to forgive me then she would.

"How's Demi?" I asked, sort of changing the subject. I had been worried about that all night. I really didn't want Demi to be angry at me.

"Peachy." She twisted her mouth in a sarcastic manner. "You offended _her_ more than you offended me."

I grimaced. "I hope she can forgive me."

"Demi doesn't hold grudges. I think you're safe." She rolled her eyes.

"But you do?"

She scowled at me.

I smirked. "Don't hold grudges, Miley. That's _so_ unattractive."

She leaned over the table, her eyes in a furious glare. She lowered her voice to a whisper, but that only made her sound somewhat...dangerous. "Are you trying to make me hate you? 'Cause if so, you're doing an amazing job."

I chuckled - it came out nervously - and she seethed in response. "Please. Don't hate me."

She grunted. "I don't hate you. But believe me, I'm getting there."

I sighed. "Just accept my apology, please. I'm trying to be nice, but you're making it utterly difficult. I don't like it when people are mad at me… It's like their challenging me and it just makes me angry right back at them. I can't stand it."

"Tough," she snorted.

I clenched my teeth. Be cool, Nick. You _did_ start this after all. Try a different approach.

"Hang out with me today," I said suddenly. "I don't have to shoot and I've noticed that you get bored watching Demi shoot. Let me show you that I'm trying to be sincere."

"No."

"You're hurting my self-esteem."

"Gee, I'm sorry... Wonder what that's like," she mused mockingly before rolling her eyes.

I sighed. Deserved that. "Stubborn too?"

"Very," she answered curtly.

I shook my head.

"And it's not that I don't believe you're being sincere," she continued after a long moment. "It's just that, well, I don't care." She widened her eyes and slowly shook her head as if that troubled her, but, yeah you guessed it... She was being sarcastic.

I pretended to size her up with my eyes. "Well… You are rather small. I mean, I could always… _force_ you."

Her cold mask dissolved again and I could hear her breathing quicken. I smiled sadly. Did I really scare her that much while she was here?

"No," she said again, but this time with less certainty.

"Can't blame me for trying," I said, standing up. "Have fun doing whatever you're going to do today then. What's that exactly? Well, whatever. You're loss," I mumbled, making my way towards the door.

I paused for a second at the door, waiting for her to object, before walking out. Once I was outside, I frowned. That really didn't go the way I had planned… But it did go better that I thought. At least she was talking to me – even if was mostly bitterness and sarcasm. That was a start. I guess it would just take time. I mean I was an ass to her. I did deserve this. But I didn't want her to be angry the entire time here. I didn't want her visit clouded over with her almost-hate for me. That would just ruin things with Demi, and I really didn't want that. Demi was one of my best friends and I couldn't stand the thought of her being angry with me. Plus, I wanted Miley to have fun here. This place was a nice getaway, a nice place to relax... It's almost neary impossible to relax when you're constantly pissed.

"Nick!" a voice interrupted my thoughts. I was surprised to hear her use my name. For some reason I would've thought it would be something along the lines of _Jackass_ or _Asshole_ or maybe even _You son of a bitch_. Something a little more appropriate.

I turned around to see her standing in the door way, an uneasy expression on her face. I smiled. "Yes?"

"What… Well, what did you have in mind, exactly?"

"Whatever you want." I shrugged. "Maybe a walk?"

She bit her lip and I could see her mean exterior crumbling. She stared at me for a long moment before sighing. "Okay…"

I beamed at her triumphantly, flashing my rare full-teeth smile.

She glared and turned back around to finish off the rest of her breakfast. I followed her back in. "Knew you wouldn't be able to resist."

"My boredom out-weighed my annoyance for you. Don't get cocky," she said, sitting back down.

This time I sat beside her. "Whatever you say, Miley, whatever you say."

* * *

"Hannah Montana," I chuckled. "Cute."

"I didn't choose the name," she snapped.

"Hmm," I hummed, amused.

It was now the afternoon and she had just gotten done telling me about her TV show. We had walked just about all over this camp. We were now walking on a trail through the woods that was close to the lake. We weren't that from the camp – we could hear the cast and crew – but it was far enough to feel isolated. Most likely no one would see us.

She hadn't really given up on this whole hostile thing she was putting out, but it was easy enough to ignore. _Occasionally, _she would answer me without the sarcasm or malice. It was rare, though.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"If you must," she sighed.

I half-smiled. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"You're tolerable."

I laughed. "Thanks, but that's not what I meant."

"What do you mean?"

We came to a break in the trees that gave us a perfect view of the lake. Boulders were lined up everywhere making a sort of hill, so I climbed up on one and gestured for her to do the same. She lifted herself on the one next to me and sighed, leaning against another rock that was behind her and bringing her knees to her chest. These were obviously man-made to make sort of "chairs" that looked out into the lake. The rocks were flat so they weren't really uncomfortable.

"I meant are you enjoying yourself, like the fame? Well… Not the fame exactly… I mean, do you like being able to do this?"

She stared out toward the lake, looking confused. I let her think it over while I stared out at the lake too. It was beautiful, peaceful…

"I enjoy doing what I love," she finally answered a few minutes later. "Yes."

"Music?"

She scrunched her eyebrows. "Of course," she said as if I had offended her. "Music is my… everything. I couldn't… I wouldn't…" She shook her head, lost for words. "I could never give it up."

I stuffed my hands into my pockets and nodded, understanding. "That's cool."

"Would you?"

Now it was my turn to look as if I had just been offended. "Never," I gasped, the mere thought of it knocking the wind out of me. "You couldn't pay me enough."

She rolled her eyes. "You get paid for making music, not giving it up. Idiot."

Sigh. And I thought we were getting somewhere...

I gave her a cheeky smile and said, "You are going to have to give it up sometime, Miley. You're not forcing yourself to be nice to me - you're forcing yourself to be mean. It's not working, by the way. It's not like I'm going to take away my apology and start ignoring you again. You're too interesting. I guess you're sort of rubbing off." I gave her a teasing look as if the very idea revolted me.

"I'm interesting?" she asked dryly.

"Quite."

She sniffed. "Then you need to get out more."

I laughed. "Fine. Be that way."

"I intend to."

I chuckled again.

"So, can I ask you a question?"

"Please!" I laughed. "I'm not used to being the one always having to bring up topics. You're throwing everything incredibly off balance, Miley."

"Then, please, never miss the opportunity to shut the hell up every once and a while," she muttered under her breath, not intending on me hearing it. She took a deep breath and continued. "So rumor has it… you're dating Selena Russo?"

I could tell she was trying to be nonchalant about it, but I could see the raging curiosity in her eyes. "And if I said I was?"

Her lips twitched, but she kept her careless attitude. "Cute."

I narrowed my eyes. "Not you too."

She gave me a small, innocent smile and shrugged.

I groaned.

"So you are?" she pressed on.

"How about you? Got a boyfriend?"

"You so are," she said, a little smug.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not exactly the world's greatest mystery."

"It is in the teen world," she pointed out.

"Yes, I guess so."

"It's not like I'm going to tell anyone."

"I trust you."

We both looked at each other. Her head cocked to the side, and I frowned. I didn't mean to say that.

"Thanks," she muttered, frowning along with me.

"Yeah, no problem," I mumbled, looking back at the water.

We stayed quiet after that.

* * *

The sun was setting once we made it back to the cabins. The air was quiet and peaceful, only the sound of a small fire cackling and a few voices around it were heard. By the looks of it, there must have been some sort of party we missed.

"Bummer," Miley whispered next to me, realizing it too.

I shrugged, too tired to care.

I heard her teeth chatter when a gush of wind blew in our direction. She wrapped her arms around herself. I shivered too and laughed. "Sorry again for tossing you in the lake. I needed to get you to talk to me somehow."

She smiled. "It's fine. I got you back, didn't I?" She reached up to push away my hair that was soaked to my face.

"What's that? No sarcasm? Well, well, miracles _do_ happen."

"Whatever."

"Still, I won't do it again," I promised.

"You better not," she warned.

"Scout's honor."

She rolled her eyes. "Funny."

We stopped at her cabin and she peered through the window. "Demi's asleep already," she stated.

"Damn it," I muttered.

"You can apologize tomorrow."

"I will."

She looked back at me and hesitated. "I had fun, Nick. You're not as bad as I thought… I guess."

I smiled. "You never did say if you forgave me or not."

"I forgive you."

I grinned at her, and she smiled back reluctantly.

"Well, I guess I better get inside to change. Don't want to catch a cold or anything," she said, looking at the door then back at me.

"Yeah, definitely not," I agreed.

"Mm-hmm."

I opened my arms, and she stared at me confused. I rolled my eyes. "It's called a goodnight hug, Miley. Get with the program."

"Oh," she said quickly, wrapping her arms around my torso. I chuckled.

As soon as her stomach hit mine, she gasped and pulled away from me, shivering. "Y-you're c-c-coldddd," she spluttered.

I laughed and started walking away. "See you tomorrow, Miley."

"G-goodnight, Nick."

* * *

Miley's POV

I walked into the cabin, freezing my ass off. I had to do my best to not breathe too loudly so I wouldn't wake up Demi, but God damn it, I was cold!

I couldn't turn on the lights so I had to search in the dark for clean clothes. My foot jammed against the drawer and I yelped in pain. "Shi-oot!"

I heard Demi giggle. "Nice save," she mumbled.

"Get up!" I snapped, rubbing my foot. "You could have told me you were awake. I think I broke my foot."

"Turn on the light, smart on," she sighed, sitting up.

"Huh," I muttered. "Wonder why I didn't think of that. Oh wait… There's a thing called common courtesy. Something you must lack."

She giggled again.

I grabbed what I need and didn't even bother to turn on the light. I slipped out of my soaking clothes and put on my dry ones. "Do you have a hair band?" I asked, combing my fingers through my wet hair. She slipped one off her wrist and tossed it to me. I reached blindly for it in the dark and was amazed when I caught it. "Ninja," I mumbled, smug, pulling my hair up.

Demi breathed out a laugh. "Very."

I climbed in on my side of the bed and gave out one last shiver as I threw the warm blankets over me. I kicked my foot out and snagged Demi's bare led. She gasped. "Damn it, Miley, you're freezing!" She kicked my foot away from her leg.

I giggled.

"Jeez, what happened?"

"I got tossed in the lake."

"By Nick?" I heard her teeth snap together.

"Whoa, whoa, not like that Demi. He was just kidding," I said quickly, feeling Demi tense up.

She immediately relaxed. "So, what, you guys are suddenly cool now?"

"Yeah… I mean, I guess so."

"Huh. I would have thought after yesterday… God, now I guess I have to apologize for slapping him, don't I?" She made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat.

I laughed. If there was one thing Demi hated it was having to apologize. She felt like it made her weak. "It's only fair. But he does want to apologize to you first. He's very sorry."

"All right," she sighed. "So what did you guys do today?"

I shrugged. "Nothing. Just talked."

"About?"

"Nothing specific. He's very talkative."

Demi snorted and looked at me. "Nick? Nick Gray? You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all. I was ready to just get up and leave, but every time I made the slightest attempt to he'd just start talking and talking and talking. He wouldn't shut up."

Demi whistled. "Crazy. When I met him it was so hard to get one sentence out of him. It took me like a week to get more than a one word response."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

I paused. "Did he ever act like... you know... to you or any of the other cast memebers?"

Demi huffed. "Do you honestly think he'd be alive right now if he did?"

I frowned. Gee... who did _I_ kill?

Demi - being Demi - was able to somehow hear my unspoken thoughts in the silence. "You didn't do anything, Miley."

"Freak," I mumbled.

She laughed. "Well, I'm tired. I was waiting up for you to get back, and… Oh, look, you're back." I rolled my eyes. "So goodnight, Miley."

"Goodnight, Demi."

After a few minutes, I heard her breathing even out.

Well, I think it was hardly fair that I was the one who got treated so _special. _Did I offend him in anyway? What, was he mad that I had greeted Joe first back at the airport rather than him? Was he really that stuck up?

I shook my head.

No, he wasn't. Far, far from it, actually. He was sweet and very humble. I could tell he was an extremely shy guy. He seemed so out of his element today, trying to keep up a conversation with me. Hey, I would have easily taken over the reins if I had wanted to... But it was just so amusing to watch him stumble and fluster with himself. I guess it did make it worse that I wasn't much help...

I silently groaned.

But how in the _hell_ did I forgive his so _easily_! It wasn't fair! At all! I was prepared to make him feel like shit. I had this whole stay planned out; after last night, I was ready to make him want to crawl in a hole and just... just... But _no_, that's not how it worked out. Now all of a sudden we're all buddy-buddy with each other. What an ass - with his incredible hair, gorgeous eyes and stupid grin. He just... It wasn't... That's not how... How could he even... Why did he have to... Ugh, it was just plain _wrong_!

I was seething.

"Do you think you're going to start having more fun here now that you and Nick are good?" Demi mumbled, half-asleep.

I sighed, closing me eyes, ready for sleep. "I think I'm going to have a blast."

Though I meant for it to be sarcastic, I wasn't sure if it was.

* * *

**I'm going to have to restrain myself from posting these next few chapters ;)**

**Oh, uhh, so I've decided to be exceptionally cruel and, well, I'm not going to post through Nick's POV while they are here at the camp. Don't fret, that's only like two or three chapters. Most likely just two. Reason being? Simple. You're not aloud to know what Nick is thinking. At all. Ever. Well, just while they are at camp. Only Miley's thoughts... And her thoughts are going to be screaming obvious... But as for Nick... Nope. And I don't want you to think of that as a hint for Nick because it's NOT. FAR from a hint actually. I'm just telling you this now, Nick is sort of a complicated character.**

**Oh and thanks for all your reviews. You guys are like seriously amazing. If you've only reviewed once or if you continually review, you have my thanks and appreciation. :)**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Sorry for any mistakes. **

**This chapter takes place one week after last chapter.**

* * *

The feeling of someone continuously tapping my head brought me out of my dreamless sleep. I was groggy and disoriented as I opened my eyes to the shameless sun, burning its rays through the cabin window, soaking the room with sunlight. What time was it? And who the heck was tapping my head?

I groaned, turning away from the light, closing my eyes again.

A low chuckle came from in front of me, and the tapping continued. "Wakey, wakey," a voice sing-songed. Grrr. I knew that voice.

"No," I grumbled, slapping his hand from my head. "Go away."

"Miley," he whined, "it's gonna be noon soon. You're so freaking lazy."

And proud of it. "Noon?" I mumbled in my pillow. "What time is it?" I didn't really care. I was already lapsing back into my slumber.

"Six." His voice indicated that he might be shrugging.

My head shot up, and I stared at his stupidly amused face, shocked. "_Six?_" I asked, incredulous. "Nick, how the _hell_ is that close to noon?"

He gave me that cheeky grin of his and stood up. "Well now that you're fully awake, I don't really think it matters that much. Get ready. I'll be waiting outside. Oh, and don't wake up Demi." He pointed at Demi's sleeping figure beside me. Before I could protest, he was out the door.

I stared after him in disbelief, then a string of curses and profanities blew off in my head. Wasn't he supposed to be a rockstar? Why couldn't he be like normal rockstars that woke up at three in the afternoon rather than… however early he woke up. Could he not see that he threw everything off balance? Screw his musical talents, he didn't deserve the title.

I grudgingly got up, walked to the bathroom, took a shower (longer than necessary, just to annoy Nick), then got ready. All in all, it took a good half hour to forty-five minutes. But to my utter disappointment, when I walked out of the cabin and towards Nick, he was as cheerful as ever. He glanced at me once. "You look nice. Here," he said, handing me a donut and a bottled-water. "I snagged these from the kitchen for you. Thought you might be hungry."

"Thanks," I sighed, looking around. "Where is everyone?"

He gave me a weird look and began walking away towards the lake. I followed him, kind of annoyed that he would just walk away, automatically thinking I would follow him, and irritated at myself for actually doing just that. "Where do you think, Miley? They're all asleep."

I glared at him. "You mean like I should be right now, too?"

He smiled innocently. "Okay, then. Go back to sleep if you want."

"I can't!" I cried. "I'm already awake!"

He placed his hand on my mouth, shushing me. "Don't wake up the camp, Miley. That's rude." He chuckled.

I licked his hand, and he pulled it back, disgusted. "Serves you right."

He wiped his hand on his pants. "You are a classy girl, Miley Stewart."

"Tell me, do you have to work to annoy me or does it just come naturally to you?"

He grinned. "Each day is different. Some days I get lucky with something I say or do, and you turn into an irritated little monster. Other days I have to try extra hard."

"Knew it," I muttered.

He laughed. "Eat. I'll wait."

"Yes, _sir_," I said sarcastically, taking a bite of my donut. I took slow bites, trying to see if I could annoy him. But he waited patiently, just as he said he would, occasionally trying to skip a rock. In the end, my plan back fired; I just annoyed myself by not being able to annoy him.

"So what do you want to do today?" he asked once I was done with my little breakfast. His voice was unnaturally upbeat. It made me suspicious.

"Same thing we've done for the past week?" I suggested, walking to a trash can to throw my garbage away. Since last week we always went to that weird rock mount that laid right beside the lake. It was just always so quiet and peaceful there… It made me sad to think I would be leaving this place in just a few days.

His shook his head, his curls bouncing as he did so. "You don't want to do something different?"

"Like what?"

He crossed his arms, looked up, and pursed his lips, thinking of what we should do. Then his look turned sheepish. "Well..."

I narrowed my eyes. "What?"

"I was just wondering... This is really random, but will you maybe sing for me?"

I froze. "Excuse me?"

He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I want to hear you sing."

"Why?"

"Because I've never heard you sing before."

"So?"

"_So_, I'm curious."

I stared at him for awhile, kind of surprised. Where the heck did that come from? Why in the world would he randomly ask me to sing? And at... What time was it now? Seven o'clock in the mornig? Not that I was nervous to sing in front of him or anything, but to just randomly start singing? That's just awkward. I shook my head.

"Miley?"

"No."

His head flinched back in surprise. He wasn't excpecting that answer. "Oh," he frowned. "Okay..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disappoint you or anything, but–"

He held up a hand and smiled. "It's fine."

"Maybe some other time, Nick."

He smirked. "I'd bet on it."

"What?"

Something must have caught his eye behind me, because he stared past my shoulder, a hard look instantly replacing the cheery one he just had. "Great," he muttered.

I turned to see Joe walking toward us. I was instantly by Nick's side. It's not that Joe scared me or anything, but I still got the feeling that he didn't like me. He ignored me whenever possible, and when he was forced to interact with me – usually through Demi's command – he never seemed pleased about it.

Nick grabbed my wrist and pulled me slightly behind him. The look in his eyes was defensive, guarded, and laced with warning. He grunted when Joe threw me a happy look. Wait. _Happy_? "What do you want?" I flinched at Nick's tone. I had never heard his voice sound so harsh, not even at me. It didn't sound right. His voice was too gentle to be bitter.

Joe stopped five feet away from us, and stared at Nick's stance in front of me. His eyes turned amused as he assesed us two. "Am I interrupting something?" He looked at me, smiled, then turned back to Nick.

I blinked. Did he just _smile_ at me? And was it real? It looked real. Maybe I imagined it...?

"Actually, yes." Despite Nick's previous tone and his hostile pose, his voice turned polite. I swear these brothers are weird.

They seemed to be communicating silently through their eyes. Nick shook his head slightly, and Joe grinned. I was about to speak up, annoyed that they were doing this in front of me, when Joe asked, "So should _I_ tell her?" He pointed at me. His voice was teasing.

"No," Nick snapped. "Now leave."

Joe's grin widened, pleased with Nick's reaction. "I think she deserves to know."

"Know what?" I asked Nick.

"Nothing, apparently," Joe answered for Nick, his voice friendly. "It's going to be a surprise, I guess." He gave Nick another look that made me sure they were having a different conversation with themselves rather than the one in front of me.

Nick suddenly looked relieved at whatever Joe must have "told" him, but the warning was still there. "And thanks for ruining it. She'll find out when she finds out. Now go away."

Joe stayed rooted in his place. "Where are you guys going?"

Nick sighed, agitated. "None of your business, Joe."

Joe smiled and took a step toward us. "Maybe I should go with you?" Nick's answering look had Joe taking that step back. "Or not?"

"Not." Nick's voice was firm.

He laughed, shrugged, and began walking away. "Whatever. My lips are sealed." He turned to me. "Have a nice day, Miley."

Okay, I definitely imagined _that_. ...Right?

Once Nick was sure that Joe wasn't going to come back to ruin the surprise, he turned to me. "I'm sorry about that."

"What was that about?"

"Joe's just being Joe. Annoying."

"What was he talking about?"

Nick stared at me, then walked in the direction toward the trail that led us to the rock mount. I followed, but this time not irritated. "Let's just go to our usual spot." He smiled at me, but it didn't touch his eyes. I guess Joe's interruption knocked his good mood out of him. I silently cursed his brother.

And I didn't the let fact that he didn't answer the question go unnoticed. But I wasn't going to bother him about it. I guess if he wanted to tell me, he would. I think my only job now was to try to cheer him up.

"So how's Selena?"

He brightened up a little bit, but then his face fell. "I don't know."

I crinkled my forehead. "Haven't you talked to her?"

"No."

I stared at him, confused.

He grinned. "Well you see, when you attacked me in the mess hall last week, you caused my phone to fly out of my hand and shatter. Poor phone. So young – and then he met you." He gave me a look of mock grief.

My irritation was back in an instant. "Okay, _you_ fell on me and _you_ dropped your own damn phone. Your phone's death is a result of _your_ own stupidity. Besides, it must have been a piece of crap if it broke that quickly. If anything, I did you a freaking favor. So shove it."

Nick was shaking with silent laughter. "How easily annoyed you're getting. I guess today is one of those lucky days for me."

I ignored that. "So you just don't use someone else's phone?"

He shook his head. "No one else trusts me with their phone. Sel and I tend to lose track of minutes and exactly how much those minutes cost." He chuckled.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to him. "Here, my dad will never notice. I highly doubt you could do more damage than I have ever done."

We finally reached the rock mount, and sat in our usual spots. I leaned back on the rock behind me, pulled my knees to my chest, and wrapped my arms around my legs. Nick laid across the rocks on his back, folded one arm behind his head, and used the other to hold the phone to his ear. "Hi, yes, I would like to place an order of a dozen roses to be delivered to this address. " He recited an address, told them what to put on the card (something sickeningly cheesy, I almost gagged) and gave them the address to his house so they could send the bill there. "All right, thank you. You have a good day, too. Bye." He hung up the phone and handed it to me.

I stared down at him, astonished. "You have a flower shop's phone number memorized? Are you kidding me? What, no chocolates?" My sarcasm was marred by my shock. "What happened to calling Selena?"

He shrugged. "Hasn't your mom ever told you it's rude to talk on the phone when you're with someone else? Besides, this is more romantic. A dozen roses sent to her house, no warning." His smiled, a little smug. "How good am I?"

"Okay…?"

He looked up, obviously surprised by my lack of enthusiasm. "You don't think that's romantic?"

"If you're a big romantic, then yes, I salute you." I paused. "I'm guessing she's a big romantic?"

"You're not?"

"Not really."

"Are you a girl at all?"

My eyes widened. "Am I?"

He looked at me apologetically. "What I meant was, aren't you supposed to find what I just did romantic? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't you be secretly gushing over me by now?"

I snorted. Arrogant little bastard. "It's sweet, don't get me wrong, but not my cup of tea."

He scrunched his eyebrows, truly confused. "I don't understand…"

"Holy jeez, Nick!" I was getting irritated again. I had to take a deep breath so he wouldn't notice. Today was _not_ a lucky day for him. "Not all girls are the same, you do realize that, right?"

The look on his face told me he didn't.

I pursed my lips. "Well I guess it's because you've been with Selena for so long. You're only used to what she wants, so you assume that what she wants is what every girl wants. Like for example, the roses. I'm sure she will find those very, very romantic. She'll gush, she'll maybe even cry, she'll be dying for your return so she can kiss you all over and tell you how much she loves you. Am I right?"

He grinned. "Sounds about right."

I gave him a quick smile then went back to explaining. "Well say someone did that for me… I'm not a snob. I'd find it completely romantic and I'd be very flattered… but–"

"But it's not your kind of romance," he interrupted, finally getting it.

"Yeah. To me, that's just too much."

He sat up, leaning in closer to me, eyes wide with curiosity. "Too much?"

"Yes."

He shook his head, amazed. "Wow, I thought all girls… So then what would be your preferences?" He tilted his head, and I had to giggle at his expression. It reminded me of a kid asking someone why the sky was blue. So curious.

"Uhm. I would find a single rose very, very romantic. The less, the better."

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. It took him a minute to recover. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

He scrunched his eyebrows again. "But…_ why?_"

I blushed and looked away from him. "I'd rather not say."

"Please?" The tone of his voice made me turn back to him. His wide eyes were blazing, and, yeah, I'll be honest, it took me a second to catch my breath (it could have happened to any girl after all). "Miley?"

"I'm sorry... what?"

He cocked his head. "Sorry I'm asking you all these questions. You're right – I've never experienced anything else besides Selena... I always thought every girl liked the same thing. You're answer just shocked me."

"It's like singling someone out," I explained, ignoring him. "A dozen roses is nice, but a single rose… To me it's a symbol, like someone telling me that I'm the only person they are thinking of or whatever. It's dumb, really, but…"

He shook his head. "No, it's not dumb." He thought it over for a second before flashing that cheeky grin. "And I thought _I_ was the romantic."

"You think that's romantic?"

"Very."

"Okay."

He chuckled. "I think I've made you uncomfortable."

"That obvious?"

He laid back down, resting his head on his hands, closing his eyes. "Yes."

"So are you going to tell me what the surprise is?"

"Not anymore."

"Why not?" I demanded. "That's not fair. You said you would."

"Yes, it is very fair. And no I didn't. I said you would find out when you find out."

"Jerk."

He just laughed.

I glared at him for a few seconds, then stood up. "Fine, I'll just go ask Joe."

He caught my wrist and pulled me back down. "No, please don't. Don't ask Joe _anything_."

"What's the big deal, Nick?"

His face looked strangled. "Please don't ruin this, Miley. Just be patient."

I grimaced at his expression. "Okay…"

He sighed, relieved. "Thank you."

"Yup."

We went back to our positions, and let the silence of the lake surround us. I let my imagination run wild with what the surprise might be, and eventually I heard Nick's breathing even out. I guess he fell asleep. I stared down at his face, kind of angry and annoyed that he could sleep when he hadn't let me. I was about to wake him up when he said, "Chill out, Mi. I'm not asleep." He opened his eyes and grinned at me. "Am I annoying you _again_?"

How the heck did he know–? I frowned. "My?"

Nick chuckled. "It's my new nickname for you. The first two letters of your name. What, don't like it?"

Ohh, "Mi". Not "my". I almost slapped myself. Hmm. Well I liked it better than 'Smiley'. Thank God Nick still hasn't made _that_ connection. "Yes. I like it very much, Nick." I smiled. "I need a nickname for you then."

He waited patiently while I thought of one.

I grinned wickedly. "How about... studmuffin?"

His smile faded immediately. "No. Absolutely not."

I nodded my head, still grinning. "No, I think I will call you that... Studmuffin."

"Miley," he complained.

"Yes, studmuffin?"

He glared. "You're the devil."

"Are you getting annoyed?" My smile turned teasing.

He grunted, but didn't answer. Yes!

I giggled. "Okay, Nick. What would you like me to call you?"

"Whatever you want."

"I told you what I want."

"Whatever you want besides that."

I rolled my eyes and sighed dramatically. "Well, if you're going to be _difficult._" He chuckled. "Okay, how about... Nicky?"

He groaned. "You're not creative."

I scoffed. "Coming from the person who thought of 'Mi.' It's either that or studmuffin. You choose."

He pursed his lips, thoughtful. "Fine, you can call me Nicky on one condition."

"Shoot."

"Never, _ever_ call me that in public. Ever. It can be your little nickname if you want, but I will not have other people calling me that. Got it?"

I grinned. "You bet, _Nicky_."

He tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace.

Just then my phone start going off. I pressed ignore.

"Why'd you ignore the call?"

I rolled my eyes as if he were stupid. "Because, Nicholas, hasn't your mom ever told you that it's rude to talk on the phone when you're with someone else?" I asked, repeating his words from earlier. "I'm trying to be, like, respectful and stuff."

He bit his lip, trying suppress laughter. "You're very right. I'm sorry. Where have my manners gone?"

"Well, I forgive you."

He chuckled. "Okay, well who was it anyway?"

I checked. "Oh, just my mom. I'll call her back later."

He scoffed. "Hasn't your mom ever told you it's rude to ignore her calls?"

"Yes, of course she has," I said with fake exasperation. "But what she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Nick laughed out. "Mi, call her back."

"Nick–"

"Just do it."

I sighed. "Fine." I pressed redial.

She picked up after the first ring. "Hey, Miley."

"'Sup?"

Nick rolled his eyes. He would never greet his mom that way. I winked and stuck my tongue out.

"How's your stay going?"

"Awesome, mom." I watched Nick as he laid back down on the rock in the same position as he was before. He slid his eyes close. "I've made a lot of friends here." I nudged Nick with my foot and he smiled.

"That's good, sweetheart," my mom said. I couldn't help but notice that she seemed a little distracted. "Uhh… The Gray Brothers are there, right?"

"Yes. I'm actually with Nick right now." I stared down at Nick, but he seemed nonchalant that I was talking about him. "Why?"

"Oh, then maybe he should tell you."

"Tell me what?" The corners of Nick's lips twitched, but he remained perfectly still. I narrowed my eyes. "What are you guys not telling me?" This question was for both of them.

"I'm surprised, really. I would have thought that he would have told you by now," she mumbled.

"Tell me _what?_" I asked again, my voice rising with impatience. Nick coughed, but I think he was trying to disguise laughter.

"Well, okay, do remember that band that was supposed to open for you on your tour? They dropped out. Well, actually, they broke up. Something about the lead singer's girlfriend cheating on him with the drummer... And every member in the band for that matter. Tragic, really. Imagine the songs they would be able to write just from that experience alone..."

"What?" I yelled. "They can't do that! Get them back together! Tell them to suck it up!"

"Calm down, Miley," she laughed. "Disney had a better solution to the problem."

"Oh, Demi! She can do it!" I said, ignoring her.

"You know Disney would never allow Demi. People still don't even know who she is yet."

"They barely know me too," I countered. "This can be great for both of us."

"Miley, they already have a band for you. And I personally think they are the perfect choice. They are already known. They will definitely attract crowds." She paused. "Oh, Miley, not that you won't–"

"Thanks, Mom," I sighed.

"Sorry sweetie. Wrong choice of words."

"I'll say."

She laughed slightly. "So, wanna guess who Disney got for you?"

"Who did they–" But I didn't bother to finish. I glared down at Nick's still figure, and all of it suddenly clicked – the "surprise", Joe's friendliness, Nick's upbeat mood this morning. How did I not see that coming? "The Gray Brothers."

With his eyes still closed, Nick flashed a wide grin. "Surprise," he mouthed to me.

"Yes!" my mom giggled. "How amazing is that?_ The_ Gray Brothers!"

"Very amazing."

"You don't sound excited."

"Just shocked."

"Oh. Okay. Well, I got to go, but I'll call you later to give you more details. Love you."

"You, too," I sighed, hanging up.

Nick's eyes opened slowly, but when he took in my expression, his smile faded. "You're not happy."

"I'm ecstatic."

He sat up, sitting across from me. "You sure know how to show it."

I looked down at my hands. "I'm happy, I swear."

He lifted my chin with one finger, making me look at him. He frowned. "What's wrong? You don't want to tour with us?" I could tell he tried to hide his hurt, but he failed miserably.

"No! No! That's not it. I want to tour with you guys. I mean, are you kidding me? You guys are the Gray Brothers for crying out loud. Who wouldn't want to tour with you guys? You guys are the best there is." My voice caught in my throat, and he immediately caught what was wrong about this picture. How he did, I have no idea, but that was Nick for you.

"Miley!" he hissed. "I can't believe you!"

"Oh c'mon, Nick! You know as well as I do that I'm the one who should be opening up for you guys! People will end up just going to see you three, not me! I don't want to sound selfish or anything, but… I mean, seriously_, you_ opening for _me_? In what universe will that ever work? I'm still the new girl around Disney." It's true. People did like my show and all, but everyone was still caught up with The Gray Brothers and little miss Selena Russo. This tour was Disney's idea for me to get a little more notice, and I think – even though Disney would never admit it – my chance to replace Selena. I didn't want to _replace_ her, but maybe it was good for miss Russo to get a little competition. But no bad blood with her, I swear.

But how the heck was I supposed to do that now that her boyfriend and his brothers were coming on the tour? They would just be a distraction.

His face softened. "You're the new girl who's going to take the world by storm. This is _your_ tour. And trust me, Miley, you're amazing."

"How would you know?"

He hesitated, then smiled. "I lied earlier. I _have_ heard you sing before. In your cabin last night when you thought no one was listening... Well I was. And believe me, I really liked what I heard."

_Is there no privacy in this camp?_

"You did?" I guess I should be upset that he was eavesdropping, but, to be honest, I really didn't care.

"Yes, I did. And so will everyone else." He leaned in closer and winked. "Maybe more so than me and my brothers. After what I heard last night, I'd bet on it."

I bit my lip. "We'll see."

He took my hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Have faith."

I tried to imitate that cheeky grin of his, but I don't think I got it down quite like him. He saw what I was trying to do, laughed, then did it himself. "Thanks, Nick."

"Sure thing, Mi."

"So, why exactly did you lie?"

He suddenly looked embarrassed. "Well..."

I smiled at his red cheeks. It was rare to see Nick blushing. "Yes?"

He sighed, then chuckled. "Like I said, I liked what I heard. I just really wanted to hear it again. But I thought you'd be mad if I told you I was eavesdropping last night. Once again, you're reaction has surprised me. As always." He shook his head. "Makes me wonder sometimes if you're even human. I'm sorry, a_ normal_ human. You're certainly different. Well, from what I'm used to."

"Oh."

"Yeah... So, will you sing?" he asked hopefully.

"Right now?"

"Yes."

"No."

His face fell for a second, then lit back up. "Oh well. I can wait for tour."

Tour... with him. And his brothers, too. I shook my head. Up until now, I never thought about anything beyond "Camp Rock". Once I left, what would happen to our friendship? He had his music, I had my show. Would we ever be able to hang out like this again? Though I would never admit it out loud, Nick has kind of grown on me. He was annoying as hell, but he had his moments. I had come out here to visit Demi, but I had spent most of my time with Nick. He's kind of become a best friend, I guess. Two weeks with him just isn't enough.

And now a tour with each other. Needless to say, that will definitely give us more time together. I shook my head again. Funny how some things work out.

"How does Joe feel about this?" I asked randomly. He seemed happy enough this morning, but I couldn't tell if that was just a show or if he was actually being sincere.

"Don't worry about Joe." Something about his tone made me flinch.

"That mad, huh?"

He shook his head. "No, actually, he's very excited." He frowned for a second, then smiled. "I think he thinks you're the one who suggested us. He's an idiot." Nick chuckled. Well that would explain Joe's sudden change of heart towards me, I guess. "Play it to your advantage, Mi. This is your tour we're going on, after all." He winked.

"Damn straight."

He grinned then laughed, obviously delighted. "A tour... Can you believe it? A _tour_. How awesome is that?"

"So awesome," I laughed along with him. "I think this calls for a celebration."

"Well, it's still early, but I think I can sneak a carton of ice-cream from the kitchen."

I smiled. "My cabin? Ten Minutes?" Hopefully, Demi's already awake by now.

He stood up, reached for my hand, and pulled me up. "Sure." Then his eyes lit up. "Hey, I bet I can beat you to the camp."

I rolled my eyes. "You better, because if you don't, I swear to God, I'll never let you live it down."

He smirked. "Okay. Get ready, get set,–"

I placed my hand on his chest, and pushed as hard as I could. To my great surprise, he actually fell over. "Go!" I shouted, sprinting back towards the camp.

"Miley!" I heard him yell from behind me. I could hear his feet slapping against the ground as he tried to catch up with me. He laughed. "You're so dead!"

I giggled and pushed myself harder, trying to put as much distance between us as possible.

* * *

**Miley does NOT like Nick. I mean, she does, but in a friend kind of way. I'm just telling you guys that because I think I made it seem like she likes him. That's my fault haha. But just so you don't assume anything, she likes him only as a friend. For now, that is ;) Haha.**

**Review? :)**


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